| "The Farm" | |
|---|---|
| The Office episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 9 Episode 17 |
| Directed by | Paul Lieberstein |
| Written by | Paul Lieberstein |
| Featured music | "Sons & Daughters" by The Decemberists |
| Cinematography by | Matt Sohn |
| Editing by |
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| Production code | 9005[1] |
| Original air date | March 14, 2013 |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"The Farm" is the seventeenth episode of the ninth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the 193rd overall. It originally aired on NBC on March 14, 2013. The episode guest stars Majandra Delfino, Matt Jones, Thomas Middleditch, Blake Garrett Rosenthal, David Koechner, Allan Havey, Nora Kirkpatrick, Mary Gillis, and Michael Schur.
The series—presented as if it were a real documentary—depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. The episode revolves around Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) attending the funeral of his Aunt Shirley at Schrute Farms, where his family reunites. Meanwhile, Todd Packer (David Koechner) returns to the office claiming to be a reformed man.
"The Farm" was produced to serve as a backdoor pilot for a proposed spin-off series starring Wilson as Dwight, which NBC ultimately did not pick up. The episode received mostly negative reviews from television critics, with many criticizing Dwight's farm storyline and some critics calling it a "Frankenstein episode". The episode was viewed by 3.54 million viewers and received a 1.9/5 rating among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. The episode ranked fourth in its timeslot, and it was the highest-rated NBC series of the night.