I'm a huge fan of The Office. I've watched it too many times to count. It's like comfort food for my soul. If I'm sad, happy, bored, or just need some background noise of my favourite characters I will put The Office on. 

I really enjoyed this book! It gave perspectives from many different people involved with the show and I was surprised to learn a few things that I didn't already know. 

It's interesting to see younger people now catching on to what a great show The Office is. 

I think it's a great read for any Office fan. If you haven't watched the entire series then finish it first because it's full of spoilers.

If you love The Office, then you need this book. It begins from the very early days and goes season-by-season. There are interviews from producers, directors, writers, and actors who give us behind the sciences descriptions, 
Be warned: After (or during) reading this book, you will need to rewatch every episode!

A great read for fans of The Office who can't get enough about the show. This volume by Andy Greene is a compilation of vignettes and quotes from key actors, directors, producers, and others involved directly with the production. More than just a retelling of the business behind the show and its relationship with the network (NBC), fans are treated to tidbits about the actors' personalities, preferences, and personal histories. A well-organized collection that takes the reader behind-the-scenes from the first season to the last.

I received an ARC of this book for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved reading about behind-the-scenes facts about The Office and how it got started. I also enjoyed reading the chapters on popular episodes! I just wish it was formatted in a more organized way. I also found it to be a bit repetitive in a lot of the sections (i.e. repeating that Steve Carrell is hilarious, Greg Daniels was great for the show, etc.), so I ended up skimming a lot of the book. I also wish there were more interviews from cast members, since it would be interesting to hear their takes on the episodes. Overall though, I would recommend this as a companion book to read while you're re-watching The Office, or while you are watching it for the first time.

The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s, follows the entirety of the show from the casting process to the disappointing downfall. We hear perspectives and quotes from individuals such as Ricky Gervais, Angela Kinsey, Jen Celotta, and many more!

I was so pleasantly surprised with this book, I was expecting masses of paragraphs tainted with author bias for the book's entirety, but I am so thankful that the author let the actual show creators and actors speak for themselves. The layout of the book was also very interesting, I liked how the quotes flowed together and told a story without technically being continuations of each other. There isn't very much I can say about the compilation but I am so thankful that I got my hands on this copy, as I have been so excited to read it! 

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Very entertaining! It's not really in my wheelhouse (oral history, pop culture), but I do love The Office, so I'm glad I requested this book. I was reading in bed, trying not to laugh aloud because I didn't want to wake my husband, but I was shaking so violently with laughter that I ended up waking him up anyway!

Insightful, illuminating, and heartwarming... all I could hope for from an oral history of The Office!  An excellent gift purchase for family and friends who are fans.  I am very impressed by how much thought and care went into every decision for this show; not surprised, necessarily, but just interested to learn about the thoughtful argument that goes into the long-term development of a TV show.  I've read other reflections on making shows and being in writers' rooms, but I guess I've never read about a show as major and as long-running as The Office.  One note: the author does not directly interview all of the actors.  The "big" ones - Steve Carrell, Jenna Fischer, and John Krasinski - are only quoted from other interviews.  This is totally fine, and understandable, but it does mean that the portions with Creed, Kate, writers, etc tend to be more direct and, truly, most interesting.

Much like the show it was written about this book was thoroughly entertaining and a joy to read. I might be biased since I was and am a huge fan of the show, but anybody with an interest in behind the scenes tales will enjoy this book, I enjoyed it immensly and highly reccomend it

This was quite the tome. It literally followed the Office and how it progressed through its 10 years - from pitching the show, to casting, to each season, Michael's goodbye, to their final episode and wrap party. This literally gives you anything you could want to know about the workings of the show. Besides just focusing on the stars, it highlights the producers, writers, camera men, and lower-tiered cast members. It really is an intreguing look into the production side of a TV show.

I picked this up thinking it was going to be a bunch of funny stories from the time on the set, but that's not what it is. There are some funny stories but it really focuses on the behind-the-scenes workings and how everyone worked together. While I enjoyed the office, I am nowhere near a super-fan. This book is for a super fan, it is a long, fully detailed explanation of so so so many things, and I appreciate that. I felt like this information was necessary and needed to be recorded - but I just didn't quite care enough, and was trying to flip through it a tad faster. 

I really enjoyed the writing style. It is basically chronological and has the input of so many staff and cast members. It is written more as an interview/conversation that flows. Each person gets a short paragraph or a few sentences before it pops to someone else. I felt like that kept the book moving for me. I also appreciated that I could pick up and put this down in-between other readings, and activities and it was very managable to read bits here and there.

Overall, very informative, interesting and well written.

I found the formatting of this extremely unappealing. Also, a bit of an information dump and not in a good or productive way. Just couldn't really get into this one as much as I was hoping to.

While Dunder Mifflin would've been a pretty grim place to work, "The Office" seems like it would've been a blast to be a part of. This oral history takes you inside the making of the hit show talking to all the stars and the writers. It's a fascinating journey seeing how it all came together. The main takeaway is it seems like it was a group of really funny, really nice people all working very hard to make an amazing product. If that's not the description of an ideal workplace, I don't know what is.

If you're a fan of the show, you'll really enjoy the insight and memories of how classic episodes came together. This was a lot of fun.

Earlier this Spring, author Andy Greene released The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s: An Oral History. The book takes accounts from the show’s writers, actors, and others to break down the wild ride that was The Office. In a lot of ways, sitcoms changed after this 2000s NBC drama took off. The book does a wonderful job of chronicling that process for fans and is a must-read. Here's my The Office: An Oral History review for your consideration!

The Office: An Oral History Review - What We Learn from the Book
Image Credit: NBC Universal

The Office is one of the most successful sitcoms of the last 20 years. We know that it’s a huge hit now, but at the time of its development, the show was in poor shape. The show was in constant limbo in its early days. Likewise, the actors were reluctant to quit day jobs because things did not look promising. This reality seems insane now, as more people watch The Office year-round, and even more according to Coronavirus Netflix streaming numbers.

Separate chapters feature details of critical episodes throughout the book. Likewise, details behind major happenings like Steve Carell’s exit and the choice to promote Andy over Dwight are explained. The real fun in this book is the format of including quotes from interviews with cast and crew in the form of a conversation. It’s almost like you get a front seat to a roundtable from those who know The Office best. 

The Neverending Success of The Office
Image Credit: NBC Universal

There’s no shortage of love for this show, even years after it left the air. Streaming is certainly a huge part of that. So is the show’s timeless ability to embody all the struggles of an office job. Likewise, a recent podcast hosted by stars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey is keeping the show’s fanbase full of passion and attention. 

The show’s ability to stay in the public eye for so long is certainly not a product of its strong finish. Like other great sitcoms, the show sort of fizzled out. Still, the early seasons and the brilliant writing sparked meaningful careers for many of the actors and writers. In the end, a lot of fans who love the show will likely learn something new from this book, and that’s reason enough for diehards to want to pick this up. 

The Office: An Oral History Review

I like to rate my book reviews on a scale of 1-5; The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s: An Oral History is a 4 for fans. If you don’t enjoy The Office, then I don’t know how much you’d enjoy the book. That said, it’s clear that readers hold a sustained interest in the show. For that audience, I believe this is a must-read. These readers can learn more about one of the best sitcoms in recent history.

The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s: An Oral History is out now via Dutton/Penguin. A digital copy of this novel was provided by the publisher for the purposes of this review.

INCREDIBLE! I loved The Office, and quite frankly have watched and read a lot of "behind the scenes" stories about the show, but this book was totally new and had so many things I'd not yet heard! It was fresh, and fun! All lovers of the show need to read this book - it was such a fun treat!

While I am a huge "Office" fan, this book took a bit of a different direction than I had anticipated.  Well-researched, with alot of time and intentionality put into the book.

during the stay at home order I am re watching the Office from the beginning it has been so nice to have this book to supplement it.  will get the audio

Much like the series, this book starts out slow-ish, really picks up in the middle, and kind of falls apart in the end when Steve Carell is gone.  I did however start watching the show again (for the third time) on Netflix as I read it and it was fun to watch the show knowing all of the little stories behind it. Great for fans of The Office, but a little bit long for me!

The Office is absolutely a must for any fan of the hit tv show The Office. If you are, read this for fun behind the scenes stories about the creation of the show, the casting process, and so much more! If you know a fan, buy this for them as a gift and they will love you. The book entertains, gives great insight into the show, inspires yet another rewatch, and it truly made me laugh out loud several times. Highly recommended!!

The style of this book is perfect. I loved reading everyone’s personal experiences without and “butting in” from a narrator. I appreciated the variety of people they included—I originally anticipated it would just be he cast. I really enjoyed the perspective of the crew as well.

Well first of all, why is the title so freakin long. Ninety percent of the words in that title aren’t necessary. Second, THIS BOOK IS AMAZING.

Hopefully if you’ve chosen to read this book, you’re already a fan of the office. You just won’t understand most of what people are talking about if you haven’t watched it. They start at the very beginning with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant discussing the birth of the UK Office and how Greg Daniels wanted to adapt it for American audiences. They discuss the casting process, the writing process, the pilot, and the network’s response. You learn all kinds of background stories and hear actors’ opinions of some storylines and episodes. It’s incredibly fascinating. I wasn’t sure I was going to be as interested in the commentary from producers or executives or writers, but there was not one single part of this book that I found boring. I loved the way the author created the flow of the commentary with some interviewees directly contradicting each other with certain opinions or the way he showed how some of the crew threw shade at some actors. I think the main consensus I took away was that Steve Carrell was universally loved by every single person on this show. Except maybe the big executives.

There were some stories that made me laugh out loud. I even went back to watch a few specific episodes on Netflix when I finished. If you’re a fan of The Office, you need to read this.

A fun read for fans of the show! As somebody who's seen the show many times (like thousands of other people!) I'm always worried about reading "behind the scenes" books of my favorite shows because I don't want anything to color my view of the show. However, I found this really interesting and I found out a lot of things about the show that I didn't know before! It kept my interest throughout, and I loved all the insights from various people who worked on the show.