I really like “The Office.” I’m not going to say it’s my favorite show out there, but I definitely had a lot of fun with it when I first watched it. What does it for me on the show are the actors. The cast had such great energy with each other and were all comedic geniuses in their own right. It made “The Office” funnier than what it could have been with different actors.
I have never particularly cared for the writing on the show. And while “The Office’s” scripts aren’t exactly written the same as Shea Serrano’s “Conference Room, Five Minutes,” comparisons can be made.
“Conference Room, Five Minutes” is a collection of essays that gives its readers a deeper look into “The Office.” As someone who has seen “The Office,” I could definitely appreciate what it was doing.
As an inspired reader and writer myself, I was disappointed.
But I had to look at this from different perspectives, so here are three different takeaways I had when reading “Conference Room, Five Minutes.”
The Superfans Will Love It
Let’s talk about what’s good here. If you’ve seen “The Office” or love the show so much that you’re constantly rewatching it, you’re in for a treat here. “Conference Room, Five Minutes,” will please superfans of the hit sitcom. Complete with references to the show and insider information that’s never been shared before, this book will absolutely satisfy any diehard fan.
Serrano’s essays also take time to acknowledge that “The Office” is more than just a workplace comedy. They highlight the struggles and enjoyable moments of making a show and getting it out there for the world to see.
At the same time, Serrano acknowledges that the characters on “The Office” are meant to be everyday people, not just comedic caricatures. I will admit that Serrano does a great job of humanizing the iconic characters even more than the show already did.
When I finished reading, I felt as if I had a much deeper understanding of the characters in “The Office,” particularly in the first essay. When Serrano talks about season one’s basketball game, I’m able to see the whole episode from a completely different perspective. Beforehand, I just thought it was nonsensical, hilarious entertainment. Now I feel even more attached to the show than before.
And that’s where Serrano excels. However, I do have a minor note…
The Book Itself Isn’t Funny, But It Tried To Be
While there was a lot of good stuff from “The Office” to read, it was often in between lots of forced and unfunny comedy. I’m all for a good stand-up comedy act, but Serrano proves that having one of those in written form isn’t all that great.
There are many references to the show, innuendoes, and jokes in general that are meant to be funny. What I found instead was that they were rather distracting.
While some jokes were clever in their own right, the tonal balance between being something related to “The Office” while also psychoanalyzing the characters was a little too much for me. At times, I wasn’t sure what Serrano put more thought into: the analysis, or the humor.
It’s almost as if you were watching a movie and a character just died, and while one person is mourning, the other is making fart jokes. That’s pretty much what happened here.
And hey, maybe that type of humor works for some people, but definitely not for me. Which reminds me…
If You Didn’t Like “The Office,” Don’t Bother Reading This
This shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone, but I think it should be clarified anyways.
This is not one of those books that will make you want to watch “The Office.” This is a book meant to treat the fans who have stuck with the show for over a decade. So if you’re looking for a reason to maybe get into “The Office,” this is not it.
In Conclusion…
I appreciate what Serrano was trying to say and do with this book, but I got a jumbled mess that was tonally and dictionally choppy. I appreciated the list of fun facts about “The Office,” but overall thought they could’ve been on an interactive website.
Final Rating: 6/10
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