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

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.)