The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s: An Oral History

I am a HUGE fan of The Office but am not one to enjoy reading books. I saw an ad for this book and thought I'd give it a try. I have really been enjoying learning a lot of the behind the scenes things you don't know just from watching the show. It was cool to hear from so many who worked on the show- not just actors, but writers, directors, etc. I would highly recommend this book to any fan of the show.

Cool book if you’re an Office fan

A great history of the iconic show. The number of contributors and the amount of background is quite abundant and fills a lot of info both widely known and some not so.

Very good "insider's account" of the show which any fan will enjoy. I wouldn't mark it down for being an oral history as I knew before I got the book that oral history was the format. But I do wish that the book wasn't written in that format.A significant number of the folks who were interviewed for this account are producers, writers, directors, cameramen, staff, etc., whose names even the most dedicated fan is probably not familiar with. So I had to keep a post-it note marking the page with the long list of contributors handy while I was reading to refer back to frequently. Also, because information is presented by interview excerpts, the account can be choppy.It's more work for an author to take all of his or her interviews and weave them into a smooth narrative, but of course a book in that form reads better. Had Mr. Greene done that in this case, I'm quite sure that this would be the definitive account on the show.

(****UPDATE: finished this book and have binged most of the series (had not previously watched 95% of the shows). I was instinct was right in initial review - terrific book and a wonderful companion the show. Made watching the episodes for the first time much more enjoyable. A little surprised that Amy Adams didn't participate in providing insight in the book. After finishing it I can still give it 5 stars -- easily. )Ok...admission #1: I have yet to read most of this book. Why I am even bothering? Why am I bothering you? Because sometimes you just know. It's like meeting someone for the first time and after only a moment you just "know". You click. You're soul mates. You're in love. Or at least "in like". Admission #2: I haven't really watched the show. My daughter has been obsessed with it and my daughter is much more clever and intelligent and with-it than I can ever hope to be. If she says something is good then it's certainly worth my time to investigate, dabble and peruse. So, through her I've seen bits and pieces of it over the years. (Am I the only one who's experienced the oddity of never having seen something other than a snippet and then coming across it serendipitously channel surfing or looking over a daughter's shoulder find that you're seeing the exact same scene you saw the one other time you caught the program?). I've chuckled a time or two. Admission #3: I LOVE oral histories ('that's what she said') Seeing this was an oral history and having this program on my bucket list AND this being the second week of my life being on hold along with millions of others because of Covid-19 (I'm sensing a future 'oral history' of these strange days) I've decided to start Mr Greene's book AND begin binge-watching THE OFFICE starting with the original British version. I'll read along as I watch. Admission #4: Although true that I haven't actually read this book before audaciously 'reviewing' it, I have read through chapter 2 and have snuck enough of a peek at the rest to feel confident that my 5-Star rating will hold. Sometimes you just know.

In a world where there are multiple podcasts that examine every aspect of every episode of The Office, this would be considered a bare bones history of the show, but if you don't have the time or interest to listen to hundreds of hours of people talking about it, this book offers plenty of good, behind-the-scenes info and analysis. It's divided into sections about the the development of the show, the different seasons, various actors, and certain key episodes. The words come from the creators themselves - the writers, directors, producers, crew members and actors, so it has the ring of authenticity and honesty (especially when dealing with last two seasons and the problems they encountered in making them). For the average fan, it's a great history and very nice appreciation of The Office. And for the super fans, well, there are always those podcasts.

Halfway through the book I was wishing they'd both have ended the sitcom sooner … and the book. The UK sitcom ended exactly when it should have but the US appear to have kept on flogging a horse that died a few seasons prior and started over-writing and over-thinking it. I'm at the part in the book where the creators and producers are disappointed that - while the sitcom is undoubtedly popular (and deservedly so), making Michael 'nicer' and losing the cringe factor of David Brent turned what was radical, uncomfortable "comedy" into something more popular and palatable changed the whole essence of the show. Ricky Gervais is one of the greatest writers and comedians but without that harshness that he brought to the British series, the US version didn't have the grit to radically change US television. Nor it appears was that the prime goal of NBC. I enjoyed a lot of the book, but it's very repetitive in parts, a bit indulgent in others, and would have benefitted from a stronger edit. The behind the scenes technical insights are fascinating - as are the writer's approaches and processes - so it's a great book from that aspect.

As a fan of the original UK version (which I haven’t ever re-watched), I’d avoided the US version for a long time, assuming it to be a pale shadow. During the lockdown, I decided to give it a try and, after a dodgy first series, I realised it improved hugely on the original version (up until series 7), it made me laugh, it made me cry and I loved it. The following year, when Alison (tired of my enthusing over it) decided she wanted to watch for herself, I happily dived back in.Reading this book, as enjoyable as it is, reminded me of the viewing experience. The early sections are really good, a thorough background of how everything came together, how the cast slotted in and how they worked hard to give it it’s own identity. The middle part slows somewhat, as you realise the limit of the format (the talking heads don’t interact, so there’s a lot of overlap), particularly in one chapter devoted to showrunner Greg Daniels which just becomes a lengthy (overlong) lovefest. Ironically, once Carell leaves (which makes even less sense to read than it does to the people trying to explain the process), the things I found annoying (Ed Helms, James Spader, Catherine Tate, the story leaving any sense of reality behind) are the exact same things that most of the writers (and cast) also found annoying. All in all, this is a thorough backstory to a cracking TV series which deserves all the accolades it gets though, as I say to people just finding the series now, you can get up to about series 7 and then jump to the finale without missing too much. Recommended therefore, but with reservations.

Finally - several years after the show finished - I caught up with the last ever episode of The Office, and immediately wanted more. There are a few books about this show out there, so I did my research before choosing this one, (especially as it was quite pricey for a unofficial digital book). I was almost put off buy a few reviews complaining that it was just a load of interviews, but am so glad I went ahead. Once I started, I found it very hard to put down, desperate as I was to follow the story of this amazing series that was was - for hundreds of people - their job and life for a whole decade. Being written by a fan and journalist is in fact a huge bonus. Rather than just glossy photos and dry facts, figures and episode lists, you get to read exactly what the show was like to make, from everyone involved - It seems that every single actor, writer, director, producer and crew member was interviewed countless times, until the author had a 100% comprehensive story of the history of The Office. I am sad that both the show and this book are now over for me, but I can always go back to the start and watch/read it all again!

I was left a bit frustrated by this oral history. The author focusses on the writers and producers, and also Steve Carell and a bit of spotlight on the Jim, Dwight and Creed characters. But there isn't enough about the actors, in particular Pam who is identified in this book as the show's protagonist yet her journey isn't really touched on, if at all which seems a huge oversight.This frustrates me somewhat & made me less patient as a reader wading through some of the very samey quotes from the behind the scenes crew and writers/producers.Another thing is the author's way of presenting one viewpoint on The Office, such as the hatchet job given to James Spader which I thought didn't sit well, personally I thought he had some very funny moments & I enjoyed his character. And then it's presented as fact that Season 9 was more 'on point' when characters and situations turned on a dime & were frustrating to the viewer. But even when The Office was on so called 'decline' it was still extremely funny - the overall consistency of The Office is remarkable. The point I'm making is, my tastes differ, as everyone's do, and the author could have made his book more objective at times.I appreciate the huge work that has gone into this book but it needs more editing. The chapter 'Greg' is a real example of this, it's just very repetitive, I think more could've been said with less.

I love The Office, so I was always going to love this book, truth be told. But that shouldn't take anything away from Andy Greene's herculean efforts to produce a book worthy of such a fantastic series. He gets everything spot on, from which episodes to isolate as 'key' to the balance of contributions from actors, writers and others who worked on the show. Every last detail is perfectly judged, and if you love The Office, you'll love this book.Oh - and Creed is a superstar. I hoped he would be, and this book just confirms it.

I bought this book after reading the oral history article. I like The Office so I expected to like the book, but I absolutely loved it, it was so interesting. I loved reading about the writers room and how episodes were constructed, and it was interesting to get a perspective on the show from so many different people, from actors to make up artists. I would really recommend this book.