The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s: An Oral History
Kindle
$11.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$7.61
Paperback
$15.16
Audible Logo Your audiobook is waiting!
Enjoy a free trial on us
$0.00
  • Click above for unlimited listening to select audiobooks, Audible Originals, and podcasts.
  • One credit a month to pick any title from our entire premium selection — yours to keep (you'll use your first credit now).
  • You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
  • $14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel online anytime.
Learn more about membership
Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company
List Price: $20.25
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible’s Conditions Of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice.
Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s: An Oral History Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Andy Greene (Author), Brittany Pressley (Narrator), Holter Graham (Narrator),
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 3,145 ratings
Goodreads Choice Award nominee
See all formats and editions

An instant New York Times best seller

The untold stories behind The Office, one of the most iconic television shows of the 21st century, told by its creators, writers, and actors.

When did you last hang out with Jim, Pam, Dwight, Michael, and the rest of Dunder Mifflin? It might have been back in 2013, when the series finale aired...or it might have been last night, when you watched three episodes in a row. But either way, long after the show first aired, it’s more popular than ever, and fans have only one problem - what to watch, or listen to, next.

Fortunately, Rolling Stone writer Andy Greene has that answer. In his brand-new oral history, The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s, Greene will take listeners behind the scenes of their favorite moments and characters. Greene gives us the true inside story behind the entire show, from its origins on the BBC through its impressive nine-season run in America, with in-depth research and exclusive interviews. Fans will get the inside scoop on key episodes from "The Dundies" to "Threat Level Midnight" and "Goodbye, Michael", including behind-the-scenes details like the battle to keep it on the air when NBC wanted to pull the plug after just six episodes and the failed attempt to bring in James Gandolfini as the new boss after Steve Carell left, spotlighting the incredible, genre-redefining show created by the family-like team, who together took a quirky British import with dicey prospects and turned it into a primetime giant with true historical and cultural significance.

Hilarious, heartwarming, and revelatory, The Office gives fans and pop culture buffs a front-row seat to the phenomenal sequence of events that launched The Office into wild popularity, changing the face of television and how we all see our office lives for decades to come.

Previous page
  1. Listening Length
    14 hours and 20 minutes
  2. Author
    Andy Greene
  3. Narrator
    Brittany Pressley, see all
  4. Audible release date
    March 24, 2020
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Penguin Audio
  7. ASIN
    B081NTWH2X
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
Next page

Read & Listen

Switch between reading the Kindle book & listening to the Audible audiobook with Whispersync for Voice.
Get the Audible audiobook for the reduced price of $12.99 after you buy the Kindle book.

Product details

Listening Length 14 hours and 20 minutes
Author Andy Greene
Narrator Brittany Pressley, Holter Graham, P.J. Ochlan, Fred Berman, Thérèse Plummer, Sean Runnette, Sullivan Jones, Obi Abili, Josh Cohen, Various
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date March 24, 2020
Publisher Penguin Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B081NTWH2X
Best Sellers Rank #43,576 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#57 in Television Comedy
#58 in Film History & Criticism
#70 in TV History & Criticism

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
3,145 global ratings
Great looking copy! Perfect shape thank you!! Cannot wait to read it!
5 Stars
Great looking copy! Perfect shape thank you!! Cannot wait to read it!
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Steve Wojciechowski
5.0 out of 5 stars SOMETIMES YOU JUST KNOW.
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2020
Verified Purchase
(****UPDATE: finished this book and have binged most of the series (had not previously watched 95% of the shows). I was instinct was right in initial review - terrific book and a wonderful companion the show. Made watching the episodes for the first time much more enjoyable. A little surprised that Amy Adams didn't participate in providing insight in the book. After finishing it I can still give it 5 stars -- easily. )Ok...admission #1: I have yet to read most of this book. Why I am even bothering? Why am I bothering you? Because sometimes you just know. It's like meeting someone for the first time and after only a moment you just "know". You click. You're soul mates. You're in love. Or at least "in like". Admission #2: I haven't really watched the show. My daughter has been obsessed with it and my daughter is much more clever and intelligent and with-it than I can ever hope to be. If she says something is good then it's certainly worth my time to investigate, dabble and peruse. So, through her I've seen bits and pieces of it over the years. (Am I the only one who's experienced the oddity of never having seen something other than a snippet and then coming across it serendipitously channel surfing or looking over a daughter's shoulder find that you're seeing the exact same scene you saw the one other time you caught the program?). I've chuckled a time or two. Admission #3: I LOVE oral histories ('that's what she said') Seeing this was an oral history and having this program on my bucket list AND this being the second week of my life being on hold along with millions of others because of Covid-19 (I'm sensing a future 'oral history' of these strange days) I've decided to start Mr Greene's book AND begin binge-watching THE OFFICE starting with the original British version. I'll read along as I watch. Admission #4: Although true that I haven't actually read this book before audaciously 'reviewing' it, I have read through chapter 2 and have snuck enough of a peek at the rest to feel confident that my 5-Star rating will hold. Sometimes you just know.
12 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Cathy O'Neal
5.0 out of 5 stars That's What She Said
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2020
Verified Purchase
I love "The Office." Completely, totally, fanatically. I kill at those Office trivia games. I listen to the Jenna Fischer/Angela Kinsey "Office Ladies" podcast. When I need to self-soothe, I watch "The Office." And I loved this book. Andy Greene does an exemplary job of telling the story of "The Office" from its unsure beginning to the finale. He even throws in some opinions of those connected to the show about a reboot or reunion. Mr. Greene structures the book like an oral history. Each chapter begins with a brief intro paragraph, but the information is delivered in quotes from people -- directors, show runners, writers, actors, the boom operator, the hair and makeup person -- anyone who put their time in on the show. The result is a comprehensive look at the series. I love "behind the scenes" information and stories, and Mr. Greene delivers. There were even a couple of surprises for this fanatic who reads anything and everything she sees about the show. I spent nine long years in corporate America. Granted, the company I worked for was much bigger in scope than Dunder Mifflin, however, my "corner" of it was about the same size. I related, laughed and cringed to so much of "The Office" that it felt like a real documentary to me rather than the "mockumentary" style the show pioneered in television shows. I'm always disappointed when my younger friends and colleagues say they TRIED to watch it, but it's just too uncomfortable and "cringe-y" for them. Then I remind myself that they didn't endure an office atmosphere and people like those with a boss like that trapped in an office together in Scranton, Penn., just trying to make it to 5 p.m.
14 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Pat M
5.0 out of 5 stars The book Office fans have been waiting for!!
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2020
Verified Purchase
I have watched the Office since it’s first airing in 2005. I loved it from the start and along with my family, it continues to be our favorite show. We have seen the episodes many times and it is incredible how it holds up. The continued popularity of the show is astounding and extremely well deserved.

However, until now,, there has never been a great book written about ‘The Office’. Andy Greene has changed that. Made up almost completely of quotes from interviews conducted with cast, creatives and crew, this fantastic book tells the story of ‘The Office’ in the words of the people that were actually there. This way of presenting the history of the show is both fascinating and authentic. As someone who thought I knew a lot about The Office, there were some revelations in this book that really surprised me.

This book is a true gift for any fan of the show. Along with the ‘Office Ladies’ podcast, it provides an insiders view that is extremely entertaining. Sincere thanks to the author and to the people involved with the show who were interviewed for this excellent book! Highly recommended!
27 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Doro W
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book but - as with the US version of the sitcom - too drawn-out
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2021
Verified Purchase
Halfway through the book I was wishing they'd both have ended the sitcom sooner … and the book. The UK sitcom ended exactly when it should have but the US appear to have kept on flogging a horse that died a few seasons prior and started over-writing and over-thinking it. I'm at the part in the book where the creators and producers are disappointed that - while the sitcom is undoubtedly popular (and deservedly so), making Michael 'nicer' and losing the cringe factor of David Brent turned what was radical, uncomfortable "comedy" into something more popular and palatable changed the whole essence of the show. Ricky Gervais is one of the greatest writers and comedians but without that harshness that he brought to the British series, the US version didn't have the grit to radically change US television. Nor it appears was that the prime goal of NBC. I enjoyed a lot of the book, but it's very repetitive in parts, a bit indulgent in others, and would have benefitted from a stronger edit. The behind the scenes technical insights are fascinating - as are the writer's approaches and processes - so it's a great book from that aspect.
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
EDGARDO A.
5.0 out of 5 stars Lectura obligada para fans de The Office...
Reviewed in Mexico on October 7, 2021
Verified Purchase
... y muy disfrutable.
También recomendable para gente que le interese saber sobre producción y realización de cine y televisión.
Report
Igors Jancenko
5.0 out of 5 stars The best book about The Office
Reviewed in Germany on January 13, 2023
Verified Purchase
If you are The Office fan, you have to have this book. So much interesting information in it about series making and life around it.
Report
Anna C
5.0 out of 5 stars Excepcional!
Reviewed in Spain on February 10, 2022
Verified Purchase
Si eres fan de The Office, no te lo puedes perder. Me ha encantado!
Report
Montréal
5.0 out of 5 stars histoires non connues
Reviewed in Canada on September 24, 2020
Verified Purchase
excellent livre donnant de très bons détails sur la série
One person found this helpful
 Report
Michael Vilardo
5.0 out of 5 stars Fate tornare The Office
Reviewed in Italy on March 8, 2021
Verified Purchase
Parto col premettere che le recensioni in inglese sono nella quasi totalità inaffidabili, perciò NON fidatevi di chi scrive che si tratti di un libro di semplici citazioni. In questo libro si trovano interviste ad attori, registi, sceneggiatori e tutta la crew che ha permesso nell'arco delle nove stagioni di creare questo super capolavoro. Se siete dei fan appassionati come me, non esitate a comprare questo libro. Scoprirete i dettagli e le storie dietro ogni episodio o addirittura singola scena, raccontati da chi e come sono stati pensati originariamente. Come la serie è arrivata in America, i motivi per cui ha resistito ad una probabilissima chiusura dopo la prima stagione, come sono stati creati i personaggi, le loro storie e trame, gli spazi che hanno reso famosa Scranton (in realtà il set è in California), perché la NBC ha commesso una follia lasciando andare Steve Carell alla fine della settima stagione, e tanto altro... Oggi più che mai c'è bisogno del ritorno di questa serie, qualsiasi sia il format, serie reboot o un semplice film reunion. La fanbase è più ampia che mai, ci sono tutti i motivi per regalarci una nuova avventura alla Dunder Mifflin, fate tornare The Office!
14 people found this helpful
 Report