The Paper takes place 20 years after a documentary film crew immortalized the wacky workers of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. They find new subjects at the Toledo Truth Teller, a failing local Ohio newspaper owned by a corporation famous for its “Softee” brand of toilet tissue. Showrunner Greg Daniels attempts to replicate The Office’s success with a similar format and completely different characters; he’s moderately successful, as it takes the first three of 10 total episodes to pick up steam and establish vital character dynamics. But The Paper’s dry humor and bonkers storylines do elicit a few chuckles, while cleverly mocking the lamentable state of news journalism.
The pilot introduces the Toledo Truth Teller staff. The vain and feckless Esmeralda Grand (Sabrina Impacciatore), who gained notoriety as a reality show contestant, serves as the interim editor. Resplendent in gaudy make-up and a heavy Italian accent, she mocks her workers while posting stories about celebrity moles. Mare Pritti (Chelsea Frei) is the only person with any reporting experience; she basically cuts and pastes AP wire news all day. Detrick Moore (Melvin Gregg) sells ads, and has an eye for the passive Nicole Lee (Ramona Young), an administrator who always avoids conflict. The aged Barry (Duane Shepard Sr.) is supposed to cover sports, except he’s almost deaf and pretty much ignores everyone. Rounding out the crew are the accountants: the acerbic Lola Olofin (Gbemisola Ikumelo), dimwitted Adam Cooper (Alex Edelman) and their manager, Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez), the only holdover character from The Office.
News or Toilet Paper in Toledo
3
/5
Release Date
September 4, 2025
Everyone is stunned by the arrival of Ned Sampson (Domhnall Gleeson), who’s been hired as the new editor-in-chief. Ned, who compares himself to Clark Kent, believes in the value of local news and tough reporting, and wants to take the Toledo Truth Teller back to its glory days. This sentiment is not shared by the corporate operations manager, Ken Davies (Tim Key), or a furious Esmeralda, who makes it her mission to thwart Ned at every turn. Ned gets off to a rocky start in the second episode, “The Five W’s”, as he realizes that no one on the staff except for Mare has the first clue about reporting. He’s literally got a day to train everyone and source stories before his first issue of the Toledo Truth Teller goes to print.
Daniels (Parks and Recreation and King of the Hill) also adapted Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s UK hit for American audiences. He and executive producer Michael Koman (Nathan for You) recreate The Office’s mockumentary style with a single-camera sitcom set-up followed by long tracking shots and reaction interviews. The characters then break the fourth wall by talking directly to the audience about their viewpoints. Daniels and Koman want The Paper to have a sense of familiarity, but not be a carbon copy. And so they insert fake archival footage, classic TV reels and commentary cards from the unseen film crew to dispel or confirm what the cast states is true. It’s a slight but welcome differentiation that sprinkles just the right amount of extra creativity on The Paper.
Oscar Returns
Oscar Nunez reprising his role as Oscar Martinez from The Office, alongside Duane Shepard Sr. as Barry in The Paper
Peacock
The Paper’s episodes run around 30 minutes each, with a tendency for filler material. Some bits run long and admittedly become strained as the jokes lose their flavor; this is especially true with several characters who are one-note from the beginning. Esmeralda, for example, has a saboteur shtick that gets old — her efforts to subvert Ned become less funny over time, and tend to linger for too long. Grand is good enough in the role with exaggerated facial expressions and an intrusive physical presence, but many of these scenes needed to be shorter. Thankfully, Esmeralda gets a more complex arc as the series goes on, becoming less annoying as a villain and finding better footing as Ned’s foil.
Meanwhile, Gleeson exhibits surprising comedy chops and shows his range as an actor. Ned’s the proverbial straight man dealing with a gaggle of loons. He’s not a strong authority figure and repeatedly gets taken advantage of, but there’s an honest sweetness and integrity to him that shines through. The supporting cast slowly comes around to Ned’s vision. They don’t have the skills to be crackerjack reporters, but learn to respect what Ned is trying to accomplish. He supports their efforts in spite of the calamity they cause, which in turn delivers progressively better results as competence grows. Ned’s a likable protagonist, and there’s never a second where the audience isn’t rooting for him to turn the paper around.
Wannabe Reporters
The newsroom staff of The Office spinoff, The Paper
Peacock
The Paper skewers sensationalism and shoddy reporting, and this is perhaps its best attribute. Ned has a fantastic monologue where he explains why good local news is vital to civilized society: These outlets speak the truth to power and hold people accountable for their misdeeds, but they also serve as a source of community enlightenment. The crossword puzzle and Sudoku can be just as important to readers as breaking news.
The Paper isn’t a nonstop laugh riot and has its share of lulls, but there’s good cast chemistry and a promise of something better. The Office took years to hit its stride. The Paper has a solid foundation for future greatness.
The Paper is a production of Deedle-Dee Productions, W.D.M. Productions, and Universal Television et al. The complete first season premieres September 4th on Peacock.
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