A new appreciation for “The Office”—and by that I mean, the television show called “The Office”
Lesson summary
Hi there, here we go with Plain English lesson 329. I’m Jeff; JR is the producer; and the full lesson, including transcript, can be found at PlainEnglish.com/329.
On today’s lesson, we take a look back at “The Office,” a popular TV show when it was on the air—and a popular TV show now that we reflect on office life after almost a year away. There are two podcasts dedicated to “The Office” that are new this year, too. You’ll hear what those are, and you’ll learn what it means to “put on a brave face.”
A non-reality reality show
“The Office” is a television show that describes the everyday life of office workers in the late 2000s at the most boring company imaginable: the fictional Dunder Mifflin paper company in working-class Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was popular during its 201-episode run from 2005 to 2013. But now, more than seven years after it ended, fans are taking a nostalgic look back at the familiar characters and the astonishing normality of our pre-COVID world, as represented on “The Office.”
The concept was to document office life in a faux-realistic way. The style was a mockumentary: a mock documentary. It was shot with a single camera, meaning that each scene had only one perspective, as if a single person with a camera were filming an actual office. Some scenes are shot through windows, without sound, as if the documentary filmmaker were capturing a scene from a distance. The camera moves as if a camera operator were holding it on his shoulder, walking around. One-on-one interviews with cast members were interspersed with the action, again in the style of a documentary.
During the show’s run, many office workers were able to see their own lives reflected on screen. The actors did not have television good looks; many, including Phyllis, Angela and Kelly, were not primarily actors before the show. Neither did the lines seem scripted; they weren’t delivered as if for an audience. People slouched in their chairs, mumbled their lines, rolled their eyes, and wasted time, all on camera.
Characters didn’t fit into television tropes of hero and villain, protagonist and antagonist, lead and supporting actors. They really felt like real people you encounter at work. Jim and Phyllis were likeable. Kelly was likeable, but annoying. Creed was eccentric. Ryan was a brat. Angela was a prude. Pam was adorable. You felt sorry for Toby. You wished Roy would get a grip and treat people with respect. Michael craved attention and validation but was a good person deep down. Jan wasn’t as tough as she made herself seem. Stanley was just trying to survive the workday. Dwight—what can you say about Dwight?—was annoying, but he was there when you needed him. What I’m trying to say is: these are the kinds of characters normal people encountered at work!
Okay, yes, it was exaggerated for effect. In real offices, nobody moved a coworker’s desk into the actual bathroom. But when the show was coming out, it was fun to watch and identify the personalities from your own workplace that matched with the characters on screen.
Watching The Office today feels different. It’s like stepping into a time capsule. Remember how we used to get up in the morning and go to this place and spend the whole entire day with a roomful of people? Remember how we used to watch the clock and wonder when it would reach 5:00? Remember pretending not to be offended at inappropriate jokes? Remember trying to concentrate while someone’s having a personal phone conversation at the next cubicle?
Remember how it was kind of nice when the fire alarm went off and you got an unexpected break? Or how you’d go to Poor Richards (or your equivalent) to have a drink and how that would humanize your coworkers? Remember how you didn’t quite know what to say when someone’s relative had passed away? Or how hard it was to suffer through a breakup and still have to put on a brave face and go to the office the next day?
The Office has staying power because it captures the essence of its era. At the time, it was fun to see your own feelings and experiences reflected on screen. Now, it’s fun to look back and relive those experiences. COVID will end, but something tells me office life is not going to be like it once was. We’ll be able to watch the show with future generations, who won’t believe it when you tell them that, yes, a lot of that was true. Yes, someone did think it was a good idea to put everyone’s desks close together with no barriers and no place to have a private phone call.
Two podcasts are testament to the show’s enduring popularity. “Office Ladies” is hosted by Jenna Fisher and Angela Kinsey, who play Pam and Angela respectively, on the show. Each episode of the podcast talks about one episode of the TV show; the podcast episodes are over an hour each—some TV episodes get more than one explanatory podcast episode. So for every minute of screen time, the Office Ladies treat you to three or four minutes of explanation. They tell stories about the filming, answer reader questions, talk about the inspiration for the storyline.
The second podcast is “An Oral History of The Office,” hosted by Brian Baumgartner, who plays Kevin. This twelve-episode podcast series talks about the show as a whole: how the original British show was adapted for American audiences, the search for a network home, how it was cast, how writers kept the storylines fresh, and how they dealt with the departure of Steve Carrell, the show’s star.
“Office Ladies” is available on any podcast platform, while “An Oral History” is exclusively on Spotify.
Reflecting on The Office
I didn’t watch The Office when it was brand-new. I started watching a few years later after they started coming out on DVD, but I was a fan of the show. I was always a year or two behind, since I waited until the DVDs were available.
If you’re looking to stream The Office, it’s no longer on Netflix, at least in the US. It’s going to be on NBC’s new streaming platform called Peacock and the first two seasons will be free. That’s how they hook you. Outside the US, I think you can get them on Amazon.
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