Commentary: Having Fun On Set Matters

Audiences get so wrapped up in what’s displayed on the screen that sometimes they forget the production side of what they’re watching. There are so many people involved in making a movie or a television show that it’s almost hard to fathom. What’s seen on the screen is a very curated image. What happens behind the camera and when the camera stops rolling is another matter entirely. And these moments don’t exist in a vacuum. They seep into the cast and crew, creating a vibe and atmosphere that has an effect on the product itself. The Office is a fabulous example of this.

The premise behind the series is fairly straightforward: Dunder Mifflin is a paper company, and an unseen documentary crew chronicles the lives of its many workers, especially that of its cringey regional manager, Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell. When the show first aired, the pilot followed the exact same storyline as the BBC show from which it was based. But it wasn’t long before the American version went in its own direction and was able to do its own thing that drastically surpassed the original.

The show was a surprise hit, and scores of interviews with the cast and crew talking about the experience are now available online. Many of them state that in the beginning they went into work fully convinced that nobody was going to watch the show. But they made the most of it, and momentum started to build to the point where the show became a pop culture phenomenon. Through behind the scenes clips and bloopers, it’s clear to see that the cast and crew had a great time on set. The chemistry between everybody was palpable and affected their performances. To put it bluntly: they were having fun filming the show, and that translated well to the screen. This is in contrast to tons of cursed productions that were filled with failing effects and difficult actors — the end results often being subpar. But it’s great to see that with The Office, the opposite is also true.

The Office is now streaming on Peacock.