At its peak, the U.S. version of The Office reigned as the most popular sitcom on NBC. Since then its popularity has only grown, becoming one of the top watched shows on Netflix. With the start of 2021, it has returned from Netflix to NBC’s new streaming service Peacock. Which makes for a great opportunity to look back and see what lessons can be learned from such a well written show.
Specifically, we’re going to look at two great ways for insight into the writer’s room and their process. First up –
The Office: An Oral History
Andy Greene, a writer for Rolling Stone who has written extensive coverage on The Office, assembles a complete deep dive into how the show got made. He interviews writers, directors, actors, producers – anyone who had a connection to the show. Starting with the creation of the original BBC show, they then move through development and shooting of all nine seasons of the U.S. version.
Over the course of 400 pages the entirety of the show is pretty well dissected. Readers get insight into the reasoning behind major story decisions, the changes that occurred through the development process, and in-depth analysis by writers on why and how these characters have stayed with us for the past 10 years. It’s a great series of lessons on how to write a great sitcom.
Amongst other things, Greg Daniels’ process gets discussed in the book. He’s painted as someone who likes options. He would overwrite and then find the story in the edit. Which takes us to the second resource for looking at The Office –
The Office: Superfan Episodes (aka Producer Cut)
NBC has set up The Office as the crown jewel of their streaming service, with its own landing page and special resources. They have supercuts of cold opens or Jim and Pam’s relationship. They also have the longer Producers Cuts for season 3, with more to come. These episodes run at around half an hour, or about 7 minutes longer than aired versions.
By comparing the two versions you get a masterclass in how to edit and focus a screenplay. The extra material runs the gamut of talking heads to longer scenes to whole storylines. While the material is almost always funny, you can see why the cuts were made. Through the edit, the story gets focused, redundant beats removed, until its clarified to its purest form.
Both of these resources offer a window into the creation and showrunning of a modern classic sitcom. For anyone interested in a career writing comedy television, they should check them out!