Reviews
The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s: An Oral History by Andy Greene
ksuther21's review against another edition
2.0
A few neat parts, a lot of not so neat parts that put me to sleep. Glad I switched to audiobook, or this book would have taken me weeks to finish.
sooyaam's review against another edition
5.0
If you are a fan of the show, most likely you will like this book. I appreciate the hard work the author put into this. It was so much fun revisiting this world.
The biggest shocker to me was finding out that Steve wanted to continue the show but NBC didn't deliver. I don't know if that was public information before the book was published but I always assumed that it was Steve's choice and his choice only. I got so frustrated during that part, it's mindblowing to me that they let go of him without even trying.
One thing that felt very awkward was the section about James Spader aka Robert California. It wasn't surprinsing because you could tell watching the show that something wasn't clicking but it was so awkward hearing his interviews about how he loved working on the show and then the other people were basically not having it. It went on for too long to the point that I was starting to feel bad for James Spader :)) I liked that the author included it because it was real but maybe not insist on it so much.
The thing I loved the most was that it managed to capture the heart of the show. I caught myself laughing a bunch and going awww on occasion and I even teard up when they were talking about Michael's goodbye to Pam which speaks volume to the masterpiece that scene is.
Overall, it was an insightful behind the scenes look, there were stuff I already knew and stuff that I didn't know, put together in a coherent manner.
The biggest shocker to me was finding out that Steve wanted to continue the show but NBC didn't deliver. I don't know if that was public information before the book was published but I always assumed that it was Steve's choice and his choice only. I got so frustrated during that part, it's mindblowing to me that they let go of him without even trying.
One thing that felt very awkward was the section about James Spader aka Robert California. It wasn't surprinsing because you could tell watching the show that something wasn't clicking but it was so awkward hearing his interviews about how he loved working on the show and then the other people were basically not having it. It went on for too long to the point that I was starting to feel bad for James Spader :)) I liked that the author included it because it was real but maybe not insist on it so much.
The thing I loved the most was that it managed to capture the heart of the show. I caught myself laughing a bunch and going awww on occasion and I even teard up when they were talking about Michael's goodbye to Pam which speaks volume to the masterpiece that scene is.
Overall, it was an insightful behind the scenes look, there were stuff I already knew and stuff that I didn't know, put together in a coherent manner.
missamandamae's review against another edition
5.0
This was an absolutely delightful read! Like many white women of my age demographic, I'm a big fan of The Office. I followed every episode until Michael left... and was a little intermittent after that. But I loved the show, I loved the characters, and I could feel the love and devotion everyone working on the show had for it. I've watched the episodes with the commentaries and am currently an avid listener of the Office Ladies Podcast, and even with all that random trivia in my head, I learned so many fun facts about the show through this book. So many gems! Well worth reading for any fan of the show. You're going to fall in love with the episodes and actors (in particular Steve Carell!!) and gain a whole new appreciation for the writers and crew. Highly recommended!
jenjen7824's review against another edition
5.0
This was so interesting. As a huge fan of the office, it was really cool reading about how it all came together. I loved the format as well, it felt like a conversation. Highly recommend if you like the office!
sarahfroo's review against another edition
3.0
A fun account of lots of behind the scenes. I loved reading about iconic episodes and how casting happened. Some parts felt antagonistic or unnecessary, the book was truly too long. But a fun read!
theinkwyrm's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed getting to hear the background and behind-the-scenes of what is arguably my favorite show. However, I wish that they had actually gone all-out full cast (at least for the actors) since that’s the effect they were going for. Other than that, this was super informative and entertaining and made me feel nostalgic for the first time I watched the show.
tarmstrong112's review against another edition
4.0
If you like The Office, you'll like this book. If you don't like The Office, you won't. Simple as that really.