I am a superfan of The Office. It is near the top of my all-time favorite TV show list. (Ranked #2 behind I Love Lucy). Whenever I’m feeling blue and need a laugh, I binge watch my favorite episodes – so basically the entire series.
In the last few weeks, I stumbled upon a podcast called The Office Ladies. I know, I’m very late to the party. This has been around for more than a year. They won awards. Where have I been hiding? I don’t know. But at least I made it!
For those of you, who like me had no idea this existed, The Office Ladies is a podcast hosted by Jenna Fischer (Pam) and Angela Kinsey (Angela). They watch every episode, in order, and do a weekly breakdown for their listeners.
I heard the premise and I was immediately sold. Who better to talk about the episodes than the people who were there?
I love the behind-the-scenes information. I’m the viewer who watches the deleted scenes, listens to commentaries, and reads the IMDb trivia. I want to know everything about my favorite parts of the episode. Was The Dundies filmed at a real Chilis? How much did Steve Carell improvise? How did they not ruin every take with laughter? They answer all these questions and so much more.
This podcast is right up my alley.
I started listening a few weeks ago and cannot recommend this podcast more. Five Stars! Drop what you’re doing and go listen to an episode right now… well, finish reading this and then go.
My plan for binging the podcast is to watch the episode and then listen to the breakdown. This way, the episode I already memorized is fresh in my mind.
Y’all, I’m on season three episode fifteen – Phyllis’ Wedding. The only downside to my pace is soon I’ll be caught up and forced to listen weekly.
One of the best things about this podcast is the friendship between Jenna and Angela. Despite the tension between their characters on screen, these ladies are BFFs in real life. Their dynamic is what makes the show truly special.
Despite starring on a classic sitcom, they are down to earth and just as dorky around celebrities as everyone else. Don’t believe me? Listen to the Hot Girl podcast to hear about their run in with Meryl Streep. I laughed out loud. Twice. Yes, I listened to the podcast a second time.
The more I listened the more I realized something. Jenna and Angela’s friendship reminds me of the dynamic I created in Hollywood Whodunit.
Becky and Lois are best friends, trying to make it in Tinseltown. Things aren’t going quite how they planned when they moved from Texas. They haven’t hit the bigtime yet but their repartee helps them survive the monotony of their day.
Becky has parallels with Jenna. She’s organized and does her research. Becky isn’t going into a situation (undercover or an audition) without a backstory for her character. She knows everything from the character’s favorite food to what she wore to her high school prom. Becky is also the pushier of the duo. She drags Lois out of her comfort zone and isn’t afraid to confront a dangerous situation. (Similar to Jenna’s love of horror and survival stories). Becky also has a goofy side that especially shines when she tries to act cool.
Lois is more like Angela. She’s the improvisor. She doesn’t always need to plan where she’s going and she isn’t afraid to go off script. Lois often gets roped into schemes with her bestie and she is happy to be along for the ride. But she also isn’t afraid to point out when her friend makes a mistake.
There are a lot of great best friend duos throughout television history – Lucy & Ethel, Norm & Cliff, Barney & Andy, Rizzoli & Isles… and many more. Pieces of these friendships and my real-life best friend inspired the relationship between Becky & Lois.
But listening to the podcast gives me more layers.
My only regret from The Office is we rarely got to see the Pam/Angela characters depict the friendship of Jenna and Angela. But that’s okay because now we have The Office Ladies.
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