The Paper: 7 Best (And 3 Worst) Things About The Office Spin-Off

It’s safe to say that the NBC sitcom “The Office” changed TV forever. It came out at the start of the current technological age, coinciding with the invention of smartphones and streaming services, and benefited from the rise of meme culture on the internet. Considering its enduring popularity, it’s surprising that it’s taken 12 years for another project to come out that acts as a successor to the mountainous legacy left behind by performers and writers like Steve Carell, Mike Schur, Mindy Kaling, and John Krasinski.

Luckily, the universe held out for something that feels like it might be worthy of such a legacy. The new, Peacock-exclusive sitcom called “The Paper” involves the same documentary crew that followed the employees of Dunder Mifflin, except this time they’re profiling the staff of The Toledo Truth Teller, a local newspaper in Ohio.

“The Paper” cannot yet be categorized as one of the best sitcoms in recent years, nor does it belong on any lists running down the worst TV comedies ever made. It’s not perfect, and this article touches on some of the reasons why that is, but the good definitely outweighs the bad. With only one season of 10 episodes under its belt, “The Paper” is nowhere close to achieving longevity or matching the comedic gold of well-stewed sitcoms like “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation,” but it has all the ingredients necessary to give viewers something worth savoring.

Sitcoms like “The Office” and “30 Rock” have been so successful and retained their fans thanks in large part to the distinct and cringey personalities of characters like Michael Scott and Jenna Maroney. Esmeralda Grand of “The Paper” is another ridiculous figure in this tradition, played to comedic perfection by Italian actress Sabrina Impacciatore. Though she’s worked in Italian TV and film for decades, most American viewers will recognize her best from Season 2 of HBO’s “The White Lotus,” in which she played White Lotus Sicily’s general manager, Valentina.

As Grand, Impacciatore fires on all cylinders and never loses the thread of her character. Her Esmeralda is narcissistic to the point of absurdity, and yet she conveys the kind of trickling, naive vulnerability that can take years for other sitcom actors to develop in their characters. Esmeralda proves a competent hindrance to new “Toledo Truth Teller” editor-in-chief Ned Sampson (Domhnall Gleeson), only to be cut down to size before her coworkers and the audience when she falls victim to a humiliatingly transparent catfishing scheme. Esmeralda’s Italian sensibility allows her to shake off embarrassment and setbacks more easily than other characters, though, which makes her the perfect counterpoint to her many coworkers that tend more toward deadpan humor and melancholic resignation.

“The Paper” follows a local newspaper in Toledo, Ohio, but the documentary crew that decides to take the Truth Teller on as a subject was initially looking to return to Dunder Mifflin. However, when they arrived at the old Scranton, Pennsylvania, business park that used to house the paper company, they encountered Bob Vance (of Vance Refrigeration), who explained that Dunder Mifflin was purchased by an Ohio-based company called Enervate.

It makes sense that Dunder Mifflin was scooped up by a larger conglomerate looking to diversify its holdings, but the inner workings of Enervate are not nearly so bureaucratically detailed as those offered throughout the ten years of “The Office.” Enervate is introduced to the audience through strategic executive Ken Davies (Tim Key), whose position never gets clarified beyond that vague title. This is an apt joke about the ethereal nature of executive job titles, but it also foreshadows a greater problem with Enervate in the show.

Ken explains that Enervate sells different paper products, including toilet paper and local newspapers, and these are the only parts of the business that the audience encounters. When Ned arrives to take the reins at the Truth Teller, it seems like Enervate’s president, Marv (Allan Havey), is his boss, and yet Ken ends up dictating a lot of decisions to Ned. Softees, Enervate’s prized toilet paper brand, shares the ninth floor with the Truth Teller, but there doesn’t seem to be anyone making decisions for the subsidiary except for Ken, who technically works for Enervate. Society has definitely come to view business structure and hierarchy very differently since “The Office” was on television, but shouldn’t a show about fact-focused journalism be at least a little bit heavier on the details?

Part of what made “The Office” feel so authentic was its Scranton, Pennsylvania, setting. Of all the places, why would a documentary crew decide to follow a business based in a dingy, mid-sized, Mid-Atlantic city like Scranton? That question encompasses the entire ethos of the show: what is the point of any of the work Dunder Mifflin does as a paper company operating in an increasingly paperless world? What is the point of any of the work done in any office job? The location was Scranton because it might as well be Scranton, and the writers on the show frequently used the city’s particulars to authenticate regional references made by characters. 

One thing that many probably don’t know about “The Office” opening credits is that John Krasinski himself shot a good amount of its Scranton-based footage, lending a homemade quality to the show’s overall tone. “The Paper” doesn’t have the same purpose as “The Office,” but it still embraces life in an American swing state as it follows a local newspaper in Toledo, Ohio. The opening credits of “The Paper” are more focused, primarily composed of shots of people using copies of the Toledo Truth Teller for anything but reading, while still embracing the unpolished aesthetic of similar mockumentaries. It’s refreshing to see a sitcom reject a trope that ought to be retired and show more of an America that isn’t Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, or New York City.

“The Paper” does a cold open for every episode, like most other similarly formatted sitcoms, but it also offers a brief, mid-credit coda with each installment. In Episode 1, this shows Oscar becomes so irritated with the documentary crew that he starts swearing, believing they won’t be able to use the footage if he does so. It doesn’t make a lot of sense, because the crew bleeped plenty of swearing in “The Office,” but a flustered Oscar is a funny Oscar. The screen also flashes a note to viewers in Episode 1 explaining that Oscar’s previously signed release form from his time at Dunder Mifflin had no end date, so they have legal permission to record and use his likeness in perpetuity.

Aside from a brief visit with Bob Vance in Episode 1, Oscar is the primary connection between “The Paper” and “The Office,” and he’s a great choice for this role. Oscar was only just moving into becoming more of a lead in “The Office” in its last few seasons and was one of a small number of the show’s characters who was easy to root for (as a certified member of the coalition for reason).

What really makes him work here is that, every so often, Oscar will mention Stanley or allude to his former idiot boss, but otherwise “The Paper” offers very few references to “The Office.” If the show tried to rely too much on its predecessor’s clout, it would sink quickly. Instead, it relies on Oscar’s history with audiences as a character who transcends the individual shows.

Despite impressive acting from Domhnall Gleeson and his delivery of some sharply written jokes, the best word to describe Ned Sampson, editor-in-chief of the Toledo Truth Teller and arguably the leading character of “The Paper,” is “discordant.” When he’s first introduced, Ned comes off as very enthusiastic about journalism, in denial about the potential challenges ahead of him, and concerningly oblivious, as seen by his failure to notice Mare (Chelsea Frei) even after he knocks her over and ruins her salad in the Truth Teller Tower lobby. And yet, somehow, by the end of the episode, Ned has become a beacon of hope and opportunity for the Truth Teller staff and has proven himself capable of the thought and articulation necessary to be a strong leader.

While people do contain multitudes — Esmeralda is a good example of a multi-faceted character that remains consistent throughout the first season — Ned’s competency level shouldn’t fluctuate this dramatically. He presents himself to his Truth Teller staff as a man with years of journalism experience, someone with a talent for finding the scoop — but then he takes Esmeralda’s baseless lies seriously and barely notices the damage she does to his mission. He displays a serious lack of interpersonal intelligence in attempting to navigate a close working relationship with Mare; he seems to lack self-awareness (he calls romanticizing things his Kryptonite in Episode 1, and yet he doesn’t bear that in mind for the rest of the show); and he comes from a background of outrageous nepotism and wealth. “The Paper” really needs to decide whether Ned is going to be the butt of the joke or the person flashing Jim Halpert-worthy faces to the camera.

Audiences are likely to recognize many of “The Paper’s” cast members from their wide variety of movie and TV work, especially those who are interested in up-and-coming comedians and performers. From Ramona Young, a relatively fresh face who has been building career momentum since appearing in “Santa Clarita Diet,” to Alex Edelman, a comedian and performer who just made his Broadway and HBO debut with a stand-up special called “Just for Us,” this show’s cast is jam-packed with potential. “The Paper’s” cast trends young, with most of its actors boasting a background in film and television and/or comedy.

A different iteration of this cast might have worked very poorly, but every piece of the assembled ensemble comes together in harmony on “The Paper” thanks to the natural chemistry between its actors, who are portraying a host of characters that feel three-dimensional. Nicole (Ramona Young), Detrick (Melvin Gregg), and the rest of the Truth Teller’s intrepid staff of reporters feel real in that they are both specific and still thoroughly ordinary.

Every character on the show has some kind of life outside of the Truth Teller office, but none of them have the kind of life they want, and many of them seem to root this dissatisfaction in their Truth Teller jobs. The successful cohesion of these characters as one staff (that occurs after Ned arrives with idealistic goals) is partially due to the talent of the show’s cast but also due to the altruistic nature of their jobs. After all, human beings find camaraderie much more quickly when they do meaningful work that matters to them.

There are a lot of people who love the onscreen romance between Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) and Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) on “The Office,” but there are also some who have credible reasons for wishing they’d never gotten together. It was always going to be important that “The Paper” set its characters’ relationships apart from those of “The Office,” but in particular, it was important that the spin-off refrain from attempting to recreate Jim and Pam’s dynamic, not to mention that of any of the most frustrating will-they-or-won’t-they romantic relationships that have taken place in various sitcoms over the years.

One of the first things audiences learn about Nicole and Detrick is that Detrick has a desperate crush on Nicole and that she finds it far more annoying than endearing. After some surprisingly decent advice from Travis (Eric Rahill), though, Detrick actually realizes that he’s coming on to Nicole too strongly and takes a less intense tack.

The simple fact that Detrick breaks from a cringey romantic pattern so quickly is refreshing, but his and Nicole relationship also continues to evolve throughout the whole season. Their fatal flaw as a couple comes not from his romantic overtures but from her inability to accept good things. Deep down, Nicole hates herself, and a part of her hates Detrick for loving her. Their relationship is very interesting, and the way they leave things in Episode 10 is sure to have folks curious about where they’ll be when Season 2 arrives.

As the internet, satellites, and smart technology continue to evolve and expand, so does the world continue to globalize. There are many terrible and complex things happening all over, and it is often existentially draining to try and contribute something good in the face of all that. As a result of the heavy quarantining required during the COVID-19 pandemic, many people in America became aware of the lack of meaning in their jobs and careers. Disillusionment with office culture — something heavily satirized by “The Office” — came swiftly, as did a corresponding rise in remote work and quiet quitting. In this tumultuous time, “The Paper” seeks not to offer an outlet for frustration but, rather, a solution to it.

Whereas basically no one could ever argue that a world with less paper isn’t worth pursuing, local journalism is an entirely different story. At a time when people are unsure, anxious, and weary of the continually blurring line between fact and fiction, “The Paper” gives an example of a small group of people finding joie de vivre through purpose.

The main goal of the Truth Teller is not to make money — a concept entirely foreign to revenue-obsessed suits like Enervate’s Ken Davies. The primary purpose of the Truth Teller is to revive a rich tradition of exploring and celebrating local communities and using investigation and research to stamp out corruption. “The Paper” is an attempt to shine a spotlight on an important profession that finds itself in crisis, much like “Abbott Elementary” does for grade school teaching. Also like “Abbott Elementary,” it offers a glimmer of hope that people who care to make a difference can still find opportunities to do so.

There is one really big problem with “The Paper” — the pacing. One of the most important elements of any workplace comedy is familiarity; in fact, that’s one of the most important elements of any TV sitcom in general, but it’s especially crucial for one set in a workplace. Viewers need to be able to get a sense of the mundane routines that make up the tiny ecosystem they’re observing, which is typically accomplished via a painstaking attention to pace. Part of “The Paper’s” pacing issue comes from its format — a ten-episode season dropped all at once on NBC’s streaming app, Peacock — which is ridiculous when considering that its predecessors usually ran seasons of 20+ episodes over the course of an entire television season. It’s hard to say whether pacing would be an issue for “The Paper” if it had that much room to breathe, but the end result is that it does hurt the show.

“The Office” featured dozens of cold opens wherein Jim Halpert finds a new, creative way to prank his annoying deskmate, Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson). “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” took every opportunity throughout its run to capture the uniquely disgusting nature of a police precinct via the eating habits of characters like Scully (Joel Mckinnon Miller) and Charles (Joe Lo Truglio), and the general unclean nature of others like Hitchcock (Dirk Blocker) and Adrian Pimento (Jason Mantzoukas). In short, we got to know small details about these characters over an extended period of time.

“The Paper,” however, begins Episode 1 with the arrival of Ned Sampson, a complete overhaul of the Truth Teller, and a staff of people with zero experience in journalism. And yet, by Episode 10, the Truth Teller has been nominated for and won three different awards for Ohio journalism. Ending the season on such an unreasonably high note feels unearned and poorly paced.

While most of the individual episodes of “The Paper” offer an intriguing plot or two and several laugh-out-loud moments of comedy, Episode 6, “Churnalism,” is easily the best of the season. By this point, the “Truth Teller” staff have found a bit of a groove, and Esmeralda’s loathing of Ned has tempered enough that she finally deigns to get involved with their efforts. Both Esmeralda and Ned seek to use the Truth Teller to their own end in this episode, but they wind up goading each other into trading projects. As a result, Esmeralda decides to investigate a public restroom closure (which has dramatically interfered with Ned’s morning routine) with Mare’s help, while Ned and the rest of the staff set out to test and review a box full of wonky beauty products that Esmeralda has received from advertising affiliates.

Mare and Esmeralda are a surprisingly fun duo to watch; Esmeralda pushes Mare outside of her comfort zone, and Mare tempers Esmeralda’s tendency to stretch and/or dramatize the truth. Esmeralda’s “undercover” antics throughout their investigation are hilarious, and the arc of her partnership with Mare set the episode above average without even considering the rest of its storyline.

Luckily, the product testing bears even more comedic fruit, with everyone at the Truth Teller suffering upsetting side effects as a result of their miracle cures. Ned takes MVP for the episode, though, as he — feeling defensive about the efficacy of his journalism — takes it upon himself to review every product after most of the staff are forced to stop thanks to various side effects. Domhnall Gleeson finds fun in his harrowing performance as the journalistic equivalent of a mad scientist, and “The Paper” has its strongest episode to date as a result.