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

Summary

In Scantron, Pennsylvania, there is an ordinary office with the boring job of being the middleman between paper wholesalers and consumers. However, this office is full of quirky and loveable characters that are both relatable and addicting to watch. This is the story of how the show, The Office, became one of the best sitcoms of the 2000s.

My Thoughts

This book is a read that is an absolute MUST if you are a fan of NBC’s, The Office or if you are interested in getting into it. I loved this read so much and it was completely fascinating to me from beginning to end. I loved getting a behind the scenes look at how this show became such an amazing and wonderful addition to my life.

I have been an avid fan of the show since that third season and I have never looked back. I had multiple episodes downloaded on my Ipod Video and would watch them over and over and over and over. The Office has become my safe haven and my show to watch if I need something in the background or if I need white noise to fall asleep. These characters have a very special and deep place in my heart and I am so thankful to have found it. I even went as far to buy a subscription to the service Peacock because they took it off Netflix. (The show is actually on in the background as I am writing this review.)

The book is told from the start of the British version and in order from the show’s beginning to its end with many different quotes from many different actors, writers, and members of the crew. I loved hearing the tales of the writer’s room so much! There were so many conflicting stories and whether the show was completely scripted or if it was all improv. It was finally revealed and it was so interesting because I was very shocked by some things.

I also really enjoyed getting to know the writers and their backgrounds! A lot of memories or experiences of the writers’ lives were actually used as inspiration for the show and that honestly was kind of shocking to me. I mean one of them actually fell into a koi pond! There were so many talented writers that created this amazing show and the writers I did know turned out to be even more amazing and I want to know more of their work. Mindy Kaling has always been amazing to me, but this book has made her even more amazing to me. That girl wrote all of my favorite episodes!!! I mean I’m not surprised at all, but I found that fact to be really fascinating.

The author also added a lot of additional information on the camera work and how hard the crew worked to make it very similar to an actual documentary. They went even as far as to hire an actual documentary camera crew to make it more realistic. I was honestly shocked and extremely impressed how much work and thought went into this comedy that I watch every single day.

This book showed me how much effort, work, and talent from MANY different people goes into something we all enjoy and how much we take it for granted. So many things about this book surprised me about the show. Some things that I thought worked in the show didn’t according to the writers and some things I didn’t like about the show, the creators loved. I loved this read so much and it was such a delight to read.