The office : the untold story of the greatest sitcom of the 2000s /
Material type: TextPublisher: New York : Dutton, [2020]Copyright date: ��2020Description: xvi, 447 pages : color illustrations ; 24 cmContent type:- text
- unmediated
- volume
- 9781524744977
- 1524744972
- 791.45/72 23
Item type | Current library | Home library | Collection | Call number | Copy number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Standard Loan | Coeur d'Alene Library Adult Nonfiction | Coeur d'Alene Library | Book | 791.4572 GREENE (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | 1 | Available | 50610022357151 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
In 2018, Rolling Stone writer Andy Greene wrote his most popular piece of all time: an oral history of just one episode of The Office, a fan favorite titled 'The Dinner Party'. The stories he uncovered were fascinating, touching, hilarious, nostalgic - everything that a great article, and great book, should be, and Andy realised that having won the trust of so many of the key actors and writers, he had a unique, exciting opportunity to write the definitive account of the show's creation and success.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 423-434) and index.
"The untold stories behind The Office, one of the most iconic television shows of the twenty-first century, told by its creators, writers, and actors"--
Table of contents provided by Syndetics
- Author's Note (p. xi)
- Cast of Characters (p. xiii)
- Introduction: An American Workplace (p. 1)
- 1 The Original Office (p. 11)
- ("I became fascinated with embarrassment")
- 2 Coming to America (p. 24)
- ("The Americans will ruin it")
- 3 Casting (p. 33)
- ("She just looked like a person who'd work at a paper company for twenty-five years.")
- 4 Setting the Stage (p. 53)
- ("It looked like they were shipping aluminum out of there.")
- 5 The Pilot (p. 58)
- ("That seems kind of dangerous.")
- Key Episode 1: "Diversity Day" (p. 65)
- 6 Season One (p. 71)
- ("It felt like we were making a student film.")
- 7 The Fight for Survival (p. 76)
- ("Things literally got insane.")
- 8 Dwight (p. 85)
- ("He would have made a good Nazi")
- 9 Season Two (p. 92)
- ("It's a love story disguised as a workplace comedy.")
- Key Episode 2: "The Dundies" (p. 102)
- Key Episode 3: "The Injury" (p. 107)
- Key Episode 4: "Casino Night" (p. 111)
- 10 The Rise of Creed (p. 117)
- ("I didn't know him from a hole in the wall")
- 11 Mindy (p. 126)
- ("I thought I had the scarlet letter on me.")
- 12 Season Three (p. 132)
- ("All of the Hondas and Toyotas turned into Mercedes and BMWs.")
- Key Episode 5: "Beach Games" (p. 149)
- 13 Who Is Michael Scott? (p. 154)
- ("Loneliness is the most universal emotion.")
- 14 Filming The Office (p. 162)
- ("They perfected the art of shooting us like animals in the wild")
- 15 Season Four (p. 176)
- ("I would never have gotten them together till the end.")
- Key Episode 6: "Dinner Party" (p. 189)
- 16 The Writers' Room (p. 202)
- ("I've watched grown men cry when they're being rewritten.")
- 17 Greg (p. 224)
- ("My image of him is of the absentminded professor.")
- 18 Season Five (p. 233)
- ("I feel like I'm in a horror movie and I'm the only one that sees the monster.")
- Key Episode 7: "Weight Loss" (p. 249)
- Key Episode 8: "Stress Relief". (p. 256)
- 19 13927 Saticoy Street (p. 263)
- ("You wouldn't want to walk around there at night, for sure.")
- 20 The Trouble with Movies (p. 273)
- ("You made it work for Ed Helms. You need to make it work for me.")
- 21 Season Six (p. 278)
- ("Are we jumping the shark? It shouldn't be this slapsticky.")
- Key Episode 9: "Niagara" (p. 291)
- 22 Spin-off Blues (p. 300)
- ("Parks and Recreation should have been a spin-off")
- 23 Steve (p. 305)
- ("He would stand there and help every single person out of the van.")
- 24 Season Seven (p. 313)
- ("Somebody didn't pay him enough. It was absolutely asinine")
- Key Episode 10: "Threat Level Midnight" (p. 325)
- Key Episode 11: "Goodbye, Michael" (p. 330)
- 25 Meet the New Boss (p. 337)
- ("What if Queen Latifah becomes the manager?")
- 26 Season Eight (p. 348)
- ("It was Cheers without Ted Danson.")
- 27 Life in the Background (p. 362)
- ("I learned not to count lines in a script.")
- 28 Season Nine (p. 371)
- ("A lot of us were low on gas")
- Key Episode 12: "Finale" (p. 389)
- 29 The Aftermath (p. 402)
- ("My fifteen-year-old niece is a fanatic")
- 30 Reboot? (p. 411)
- ("I hope we can do it before any of us kick the bucket")
- Acknowledgments (p. 419)
- Sources (p. 423)
- Index (p. 435)
Excerpt provided by Syndetics
Reviews provided by Syndetics
Library Journal Review
Rolling Stone journalist Greene offers fans hoping for an Office reboot the next best thing--a detailed oral history drawn from interviews with the show's creators, writers, and cast and crew, as well as critics and NBC network executives. A remake of a short-lived but acclaimed British series, the U.S. version of The Office was met with skepticism when it debuted in 2005--in the wake of glamorous, Manhattan-based sitcoms, a mockumentary about the employees of a struggling paper company in Scranton, PA, seemed unlikely to last. But following a rocky first season, the show quickly found its footing. Greene's subjects are an effusive bunch, rhapsodizing about showrunner Greg Daniels's eccentric genius or lead actor Steve Carell's comedic prowess, warmth, and professionalism. Though the occasionally repetitive narrative would have benefited from a shade more editing and a greater willingness to address the show's missteps, fans will nevertheless be richly rewarded by insights into watershed moments, such as the meticulous location scouting that went into salesman Jim Halpert's proposal to receptionist Pam Beesly. VERDICT Greene's affectionate tribute will satisfy Office devotees eager for a behind-the-scenes look at this beloved sitcom.--Mahnaz Dar, Library Journal & School Library JournalPublishers Weekly Review
First-time author Greene delivers a fascinating oral history of The Office, the NBC sitcom that started in 2005 with low ratings and became a cultural phenomenon during its nine-season run. Greene, a pop culture writer for Rolling Stone, illuminates the show thanks to nearly 100 interviews with cast members, writers, directors, producers, and crew along with various TV executives and critics. Starting with its birth as an American remake of the British series created by comedian Ricky Gervais, Greene shows how the series developed its take on the day-to-day life of everyday office workers--"normal people, but they're really quirky." Greene includes chapters on fan-favorite episodes ("The Dundees," "Beach Games," "Threat Level Midnight," etc.) and makes clear that at the show's center is actor Steve Carell, whose portrayal of office boss Michael Scott is the show's pulse. Greene argues that Carell's "magic superpower" to take Gervais's rougher and meaner character and instead show his "vulnerability" and "empathy" was responsible for the show's success. With its wealth of anecdotes, this entertaining history will delight the series's many fans. (Mar.)Kirkus Book Review
An oral history of the long-running, mega-popular American sitcom.In this behind-the-scenes trove for the countless fans of The Office, Rolling Stone senior writer Greene pulls together comments, context, and insights in a round-table style that tracks the sitcom's origins and success. Inspired by its British TV namesake, created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the American version of The Office, created by Greg Daniels, initially "faced a lot of resistance" as it struggled to find a place as a "single-camera, laugh-track-free show about a struggling small town paper company." The narrative, ably curated by Greene, features the creators, actors, writers, and reviewers that spanned the show's nine-season run on NBC from 2005 to 2013. With cogent chapters about key episodes, lead characters such as the boss, Michael Scott (Steve Carrell), and assistant to the regional manager, Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), craft talk, and nuts-and-bolts details, Greene smartly lets the contributors elaborate how a workplace mockumentary became a cultural phenomenon. Lively anecdotes reveal the closeness of cast and crew, and we see the writers' room as a highly collaborative, intense training ground that fostered talents such as Mindy Kaling and BJ Novak. Director J.J. Abrams characterizes the show as having "a kind of timelessness to it," a point driven home in reflections on what The Office did that differed from prime-time shows of its era: establishing a strong point of view, resisting glamorous actors, and building a set away from the traditional studio. Greene doesn't just rave, however; the book includes respectful candor about episode ideas that didn't pan out and late additions to the cast who didn't fit. When Carrell left after Season 7, The Office rallied for another two seasons, to mixed response. Amid rich trivia for pop-culture buffs, relationshipsboth fictional and realstand out. Everyone involved notes Carrell's genuine personality and professionalism; the text also serves as a tribute to his role in defining the series.A fond, funny, informative trip down Memory Lane for series buffs and newcomers alike. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.Author notes provided by Syndetics
Andy Greene is from Cleveland, Ohio, attended Kenyon College, and is now a Senior Writer for Rolling Stone . He lives in New York City.There are no comments on this title.