Preface. How did we get here? / by Brian Baumgartner -- "Okay, here's the pitch" : the Office travels across the Atlantic -- "Scranton hot" : casting the lovable misfits of Dunder Mifflin -- "Everything that makes it harder makes it better" : making the pilot -- "Let me tell you why this isn't going to work" : making season one -- "The office needed a billion things to go right" : the emotional roller coaster of season two -- "John and I are not a couple" : the office love stories -- "Inheritors of the history of comedy" : the comedy tropes that inspired and shaped the Office : season three -- "I don't care, fire me!" : Inside the Office writers' room . . . And the writers strike that nearly ended the show : season four -- "The moment that my life changed" : a wedding, new hires (and losses), and other shake-ups : seasons five and six -- "Losing the captain of our ship" : the long goodbye for Michael Scott (and Steve Carell) : season seven -- "Who should be the boss?" : The search for a new Dunder Mifflin regional manager : seasons eight and nine -- "It's a wrap" : the series finale -- "Beauty in ordinary things" : the legacy of the Office.