Streaming
“The Paper,” a spinoff of NBC’s “The Office,” shows a lot of promise in its first season, now streaming on Peacock.
Early on in Peacock’s new comedy, “The Paper,” a familiar face appears: Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nuñez), an accountant on NBC’s hit comedy “The Office.”
“God, not again,” Oscar moans when he spies the same documentary crew that embedded at his previous job at paper company Dunder Mifflin. “I’m not agreeing to any of this. Don’t you guys have enough after nine years? Nobody wants this.”
Co-creator Greg Daniels is hoping that viewers very much do want more of this. Specifically, another workplace mockumentary that borrows heavily from the formula that made Daniels’ other shows — the U.S. version of “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation” — so beloved.
Over the course of ten episodes (all of which are now streaming on Peacock), “The Paper” begins to show the same promise as those other shows, especially in the second half of the season. There are a few characters that still need to find their footing and moments where the show hews too close to its predecessor’s playbook. But there’s enough warmth and humor to be found at the fictional small-town newspaper The Toledo Truth Teller to justify “The Paper”’s already-announced second season renewal.
Beyond the reappearance of Oscar and the involvement of Daniels, the most tangible connective tissue between “The Office” and “The Paper” is paper itself. Following the events of “The Office,” Dunder Mifflin was acquired by Enervate, a megacorporation that also sells toilet paper, toilet seat covers, and almost by coincidence owns a century-old newspaper. As an Enervate corporate stooge played by British actor Tim Key observes, the newspaper comes dead last on that list.
The story of The Truth Teller is one that is playing out across the country in real time. A once-hallowed publication that employed hundreds of journalists is now a shell of itself. Thanks to corporate cuts, each issue of The Truth Teller is a mix of national headlines and clickbait nonsense spun up by its eccentric Italian managing editor, Esmerelda (Sabrina Impacciatore of “The White Lotus”).
The only two staffers with any reporting experience – a grizzled journalist (Duane Shepard) and an ex-military scribe (Andover native Chelsea Frei) – are too busy plugging in high school sports scores and slotting wire stories to do any actual local coverage.
That all changes when fresh-faced editor in chief Ned (Domnhall Gleeson, “Ex Machina”) arrives, bringing an unearned sense of optimism to the dreary newsroom. Much like Leslie Knope of “Parks and Recreation” found devoted parks employees in every corner of City Hall, Ned begins cultivating reporters from all across the Enervate offices. The toilet paper division yields a promising talent (Eric Rahill), as does the ad sales department (Detrick Moore). Even Oscar gets to write theater reviews and a daily Sudoku.
The premise of “The Paper” – sending rookie reporters out in pairs to cover local news stories – is perfect sitcom fodder. We get to see relationships blossom and comedic voices form while the duos actually accomplish the difficult task of reporting out stories, cultivating sources, and meeting deadlines.
Daniels and co-creator Michael Koman (“Nathan For You”) also get the nitty-gritty details of how things work at a newspaper largely correct, including the sometimes-overwhelming pressure from corporate overlords to find a way to make journalism a profitable enterprise. In a humorous recurring gag, Key’s business liaison keeps asking Ned and others to figure out The Truth Teller’s version of The Wirecutter or Wordle.
Much like the newspaper at its center, which is hanging on due to its name recognition, the success of “The Paper” likely hinges on the fact that people will tune in to see what a spinoff/sequel/reimagination of “The Office” entails. Ironically, the spectre of the hit comedy hanging over “The Paper” is one of its biggest weaknesses.
Beyond the already discussed connections to Dunder Mifflin (and a few that we are embargoed from revealing), the sounds and rhythms of the show are almost eerily similar to its predecessor. The office phone has the same ring. The camera crew cuts the same way. And Mare (Frei) gives us more “Jim Face” reaction shots in ten episodes than John Krasinski accomplished in thirty.
Several characters, like Shepard’s borderline senile reporter and circulation specialist Nicole Lee (Ramona Young), are clearly being slotted into character archetypes established at Dunder Mifflin. Even Key’s slimy Ken, one of the funniest characters of the first season, comes off as a slightly tweaked version of David Brent, the boss from the original British “Office” played by Ricky Gervais. The show’s name recognition is its greatest asset, but also threatens to hold “The Paper” back from finding its own lane.
In one scene, Ned estimates The Truth Teller’s chances of success at 95 percent, before later conceding that due to the abhorrent economic headwinds decimating the newspaper business, he should probably dial his optimism back – to 85 percent. In a crowded TV landscape that is losing audience share to YouTube, TikTok, and attention-grabbing podcasts, that percentage feels about right. Both “Parks and Rec” and “The Office” had short, shaky freshman seasons before hitting their stride in Season 2. With a little bit of polish, “The Paper” could soon join them.
“The Paper” is streaming on Peacock.
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