In the main titles for The Paper, the names of the cast and producers are shown alongside footage of newspapers being used for a variety of undignified tasks: wrapping fish, house-training a puppy, literally lining the inside of a birdcage. It’s an opening credits sequence that’s slightly more callous than the actual show it introduces, a sequel to The Office that effectively balances cringe with a kinder, more inspirational sort of comedy.
When we first meet the employees of local newspaper Toledo Truth-Teller, they’re a dispirited bunch with the bare minimum of journalism experience. Level-headed veteran Mare (Chelsea Frei), the only one with a background in reporting, is primarily dedicated to filling the daily paper with cheap stories from the news wire, like celebrity skin care tips, while over-the-top Esmeralda (Sabrina Impacciatore from The White Lotus Season 2) runs the clickbait-focused, ad-infested online edition. The rest of the threadbare staff largely works in other divisions of parent company Enervate, with no experience writing.
Enter Ned (Domhnall Gleeson), a born salesman whose family connections have enabled him to take over the paper as editor-in-chief. Why did he want the job? Because he loves and believes in journalism — and, despite no shortage of missteps early on, it’s a passion that might just inspire the rest of his coworkers to turn things around.
None of the above might sound like it has anything to do with The Office, but The Paper does exist in the world of the American spinoff in a very clear and direct way, most clearly and directly by bringing back Oscar Nunez to reprise his role as Oscar Martinez. Oscar’s the primary one responsible for making multiple references to the original series, but the spirit of The Office is present… sorta.
Those who watched both the British and American Office shows (heck, throw in the Australian one for good measure, it was actually pretty fun) know that in launching the show in other countries, there was a pretty clear structure to the core ensemble of the series: The annoying boss, his/her equally annoying suck-up assistant, and then the Will They/Won’t They couple. (The Australian version made headlines for its female Michael Scott, played by Felicity Ward.)
The Paper is unbeholden to such constructs, though it does still have a similar balance between charming and relatable heroes and less charming but still relatable comic foils. Domhnall Gleeson’s accent work becomes a little hard to place, but as the resident boss he’s way more competent than Michael Scott and arguably less annoying, with his sweet passion for the power of journalism going a long way to fuel his likability.
The Paper (Peacock)
Frei proves skilled on her own merits at playing the straight man to Gleeson’s enthusiasm, and right off the bat she and Gleeson have great chemistry. Because yes, this show’s ensemble might not match one to one with the original Office cast, but you gotta have a Will They/Won’t They, right?
Not every member of the cast really helps the show thrive, and now that it’s confirmed that The Paper will get a second season, the show’s number one priority should be figuring out how to make Esmeralda’s character fit more naturally into the world of the show. She represents a totally unique comic voice for this universe, but it honestly proves grating as the season progresses. All of her motivations are clear and understandable, as Ned joining the Truth-Teller usurps her as the ostensible head of the paper, but her efforts to sabotage him feel out of tune with the rest of the story being told here. The issue is more to do with the writing than Sabrina Impacciatore’s performance, but both need some recalibration.
Working somewhat better in an antagonistic role is Tim Key as a Enervate suit who likes his middle man status and will protect any threats against it, through the most passive-aggressive of means. The other supporting cast members all have a lot of promise as well despite the limited scope of these ten episodes, including Alex Edelman’s awkward family man, Melvin Gregg’s unassuming romantic, and Ramona Young’s quiet yet forthright pragmatist.
The Paper (Peacock)
One notable change from The Office to The Paper in terms of style: The original show was, until its final episodes, deliberately vague about why, exactly, a camera crew was following a bunch of paper company employees around. (Spoiler alert: It was for a PBS documentary.) Perhaps because of that prior reveal, The Paper doesn’t bother to cultivate a similar mystique, instead making it clear from the beginning that the documentary crew from the previous show has embarked upon a sequel. Presumably, this new doc is also intended for future distribution on PBS, though who knows how feasible that will actually be, if the universe of The Paper bears any resemblance to our own.
Point is, the fact that the show is upfront about who’s making the “documentary” and why leads to one major change to the pre-established mockumentary format: The documentarians are a little more involved, making their presence felt via some occasionally snarky title cards. (Those title cards mostly involve denying any requests for the cameras to stop filming.) It happens rarely over the course of these 10 episodes, but it adds an intriguing bit of spice to the otherwise very familiar recipe.
Overall, though, the most exciting tweak The Paper makes to this established world is that really, no one on The Office cared that much about selling paper. It was only a job. But the characters of The Paper become genuinely passionate about the opportunity to keep journalism alive, in their own haphazard, occasionally amateurish way. The end result is a show that doesn’t just inspire laughs — it can actually feel pretty inspiring. Because yeah, everyone’s gotta work for a living. It’s nice, though, to see people living for work they believe in.
All 10 episodes of The Paper will begin streaming Thursday, September 4th on Peacock. Check out the trailer below.
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