In a year when the office now looks like a kitchen or a spare bedroom, thanks to the work-from-home shift, there is an added layer of nostalgia for the TV comedy series “The Office.” It has been 15 years since the U.S. got its own version of the U.K. hit show created by comedian Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, and to mark that anniversary the program is getting its own look-back podcast.
Ben Silverman, co-founder of the Hollywood production company Propagate, and actor Brian Baumgartner – who portrayed Kevin Malone in the series – are teaming with Spotify for An Oral History of The Office. Hosted and executive produced by Baumgartner, the podcast chronicles the behind-the-scenes stories of the show during its nine-year run on NBC from 2005 to 2013. That includes the search for a network home, to the casting, assembling the talent behind the camera, and the memorable storylines and major moments.
The producers of the limited-run podcast say An Oral History of the Office features interviews with the cast and creators from the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company and reveals some never-before-heard stories from the people who knew the series the best, including actors Steve Carell (“Michael Scott”), John Krasinski (“Jim Halpert”), Rainn Wilson (“Dwight Schrute”), Jenna Fischer (“Pam Beesly”) and Angela Kinsey (“Angela Martin”). The series also includes conversations with Creator and Executive Producer Greg Daniels as well as executives, crew, and special guests, including Billie Eilish. The 12-episode podcast will be available exclusively on Spotify.
Propagate plans to develop other podcasts with the effort led by Linh Le, the studio’s Head of Podcasting and New Business Development. Le told the Hollywood Reporter that The Office seemed like a good place to start that effort. He said the project has been in the works for more than six months with more than 40 interviews and more than 100 hours of material recorded for the show. "We really wanted to tell the full story," said Le.
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