The following review was made possible by Sky providing advance screeners of The Paper to Popped. All episodes of The Paper release on September 5.
The Paper, a new Peacock, Sky & NOW comedy from Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, shifts the camera crew of The Office from Scranton to a struggling Midwestern newspaper. Domhnall Gleeson leads as chief editor Ned Sampson, new to the Toledo Truth-Teller as he attempts to reshape the once-beloved paper with a team of budding, yet clueless journalists. With the return of Oscar Nuñez as Oscar Martinez, The Paper series blends familiar DNA with fresh characters, resulting in a show that has flashes of promise but one that often struggles to escape the shadow of its superior predecessor. Any attempt to revisit its mockumentary style comes with enormous pressure.
This Ain’t No Office Show
One of my biggest fears going into The Paper was the idea that it might try to replicate the lightning in a bottle that was The Office (US). Thankfully, that fear is largely unfounded. The series, while carrying obvious echoes of its predecessor, makes a point of striking out on its own, for better and worse.
The characters here are different, excluding the obvious return of Oscar, but there are slivers of familiarity in each of them. That gives the show a homely feel, like reuniting with long-lost friends you somehow haven’t met before. Domhnall Gleeson’s Ned Sampson is a strong lead, both entertaining and surprisingly sympathetic. You can’t help but root for the hapless editor as he stumbles his way through trying to revive the Toledo Truth-Teller.
His predecessor, Esmeralda (played by The White Lotus’ Sabrina Impacciatore), is the true scene-stealer of the series. She delivers some of the season’s funniest moments, whether it’s hijacking an in memoriam for dead journalists by bursting into an improv song, getting hilariously catfished for money, or scheming to land her son a prime TV commercial gig. She’s lively, loud, and manipulative, and every scene she’s in has a spark that the rest of the show sometimes lacks, easily my favourite of the ensemble by a country mile.
The Paper doesn’t shy away from nodding to its roots either, with witty glances to the camera, self-aware exchanges between Oscar and the documentary crew (who he recognises instantly), and sly references to in-universe events and characters from The Office. It’s enough to anchor fans without ever feeling like a full-blown nostalgia trip. That said, there is one very clear moment in particular where it feels like the writers are reheating The Office’s nachos, lifting certain story beats that will feel very familiar to longtime fans. Rather than delivering the same emotional spark, these echoes highlight how hard it is to bottle the same magic twice. The episode of its origin is a full-blown best hits of The Office in the worst way possible.
Binge This. Don’t Wait
I won’t lie, I wasn’t completely impressed by the show’s first three episodes, and the recent development that the show would be getting a boxset release on Day One actually looks like a better move for the series as a whole. Whilst it’s a shame this show isn’t being given 4 weeks to grow its audience, I think a lot of people might have a similar struggle when sitting through the first few episodes of the series. It takes a bit of time for the show’s identity to form, for us as an audience to build these relationships with characters on-screen and for the writers to also realise who they are writing for us to watch.
The pilot works: it introduces the key players, sets the scene, and acknowledges The Office before moving on with its own thing. But the following two episodes stumble with slower pacing and weaker jokes, leaving the show adrift before it begins to settle. It takes time for the identity to form, for us to build relationships with the characters, and for the writers to figure out who they’re really writing for.
Episodes 4 and 5 are where the show really finds itself, including funny plotlines, including the previously mentioned Catfish incident, but also the team at TTT coming into contact with a group of highly experienced high school journalists, before the group goes on a quest for self-revitalisation with an amalgamation of beauty products to review.
What Is Next For ‘The Paper’?
I would like to see The Paper continue into a second season. The show’s first ten episodes are far from perfect, but there’s plenty of potential waiting to be tapped into. If anything, it’s worth remembering that The Office (US) had a shaky first season too, one that I found to feel uneven and unsure of itself before hitting its stride in later years. By the time it found its rhythm, it became one of the defining sitcoms of its generation, and one of my favourite shows of all time.
The Paper doesn’t need to replicate that success, but it does need time to grow into its own identity. Ten episodes feel like only a starting point – enough to introduce Ned, Esmeralda and the publication’s other writers, but not enough to fully flesh out their dynamics. A second season would give the writers room to develop sharper jokes, lean into the stronger characters, and build a proper workplace world that fans can invest in.
If Peacock can give this newsroom another shot, there’s every chance The Paper could evolve from a passable curiosity into something much stronger. UPDATE: I am writing this ahead of embargo, just as it has been announced that the series has been renewed for second season, and I won’t lie – I am incredibly shocked but will absolutely take it.
‘The Paper’ – Final Thoughts
The Paper might not be for everyone, especially those expecting the next best thing since The Office. It has its highs, with its likeable new characters, Ned and Esmeralda standing out as highlights, and it nails just enough jokes to keep the newsroom watchable. But the uneven pacing and hit-or-miss humour, paired with the small tendency to lean too heavily on familiar story beats, hold it back, really feeling like reheated nachos, but I also feel like this first season is a starting point rather than a fully-formed comedy. There’s potential here if the show gets the chance to grow into its own identity.
All episodes of The Paper will be available on Sky and NOW in the UK and Peacock in the US on September 5. Check out a trailer below:
The Review
'The Paper'
The Paper might not be for everyone, especially those expecting the next best thing since The Office. It has its highs, with its likeable new characters, Ned and Esmeralda standing out as highlights, and it nails just enough jokes to keep the newsroom watchable. But the uneven pacing and hit-or-miss humour, paired with the small tendency to lean too heavily on familiar story beats, hold it back, really feeling like reheated nachos, but I also feel like this first season is a starting point rather than a fully-formed comedy. There’s potential here if the show gets the chance to grow into its own identity.
