Why ‘The Office’s Season 6 Controversial Halloween Episode Opening Disappeared

The Office is still available on Netflix, but there is one scene you can’t see. The Season 6 Halloween episode had a controversial cold open gag that has since been removed by NBC. It is not available on Netflix, or any other streaming version of the show.

The Office is still a staple of streaming entertainment, more than six years after it went off the air. However, it has seen some slight alterations since it first ran on NBC, including the notable change to Season 6, Episode 8, “Koi Pond.” The episode features Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) uncharacteristically nervous for a meeting with an important client. Michael Scott (Steve Carell) tags along, but when they return Michael is soaking wet.

The episode goes on to reveal that Michael fell into the koi pond in the lobby of the client’s building. He feels that Jim could have caught him before he fell in, and the whole story turns into a discussion of mocking fellow employees.

However, many fans do not know that the episode originally featured a pre-credits sequence that served as Season 6’s Halloween celebration. In it, the Dunder Mifflin Scranto branch put together a haunted house for local kids in their warehouse.

The joke here was that the haunted warehouse display was comically lackluster. Darryl Philbin (Craig Robinson) pushed the kids around on a cart, taking them through hastily prepared scenes by the other, unenthusiastic employees. As usual, the only one taking the whole thing serious was Michael, who referred to Darryl as “gangster pumpkin.”

The reason the skit ultimately got cut was because of the punchline. As his frustration with his employees grew, Michael searched for ways to raise the stakes. Finally, he graphically simulated suicide, to the horror of the children attending the haunted house. Michael dropped from the ceiling on a fake noose, wriggling for a moment before imparting a confusing message about seeking mental health care if you need it.

The scene horrified viewers in real life too, which is why it was cut after the first time it aired in 2009. For years, NBC did its best to scrub the scene entirely, so it does not show up in re-runs, on streaming services or even on the DVD copies of the season. This includes Netflix, where many fans binge-watch The Office again and again.

It is, however, available on YouTube now, after many years. The scene was uploaded to The Office‘s official YouTube account in 2017, shortly before Halloween. It is unclear why the scene was suddenly considered palatable on its own.

The Office is streaming on Netflix through the end of 2020.