The Paper Review: A New Office-Style Sitcom About Newspapers
The Paper is a new sitcom set in the same universe as The Office. (Obviously, that’s our world too, but you know what I mean.) It’s made by some of the same people, has a similar vibe, and is a ‘spiritual spinoff’.
In this case, the documentary crew have moved on from filming paper salesmen to capturing the last gasps of a struggling local newspaper, the Toledo Truth-Teller. In other words, the awkward small-talk and office romances are still here, but this time it’s all about journalism.
Same DNA, Different Desk Chairs
Greg Daniels (co-creator of The Office US) and Michael Koman are behind The Paper, and you can feel their fingerprints all over it. From the lingering frustrated glances at the camera to the ensemble of eccentrics and vaguely disillusioned staff who really shouldn’t be allowed near a functioning business, this is very much an Office cousin. What keeps it fresh, though, is the setting.
Selling paper was a dying industry in the early 2000s, but was still kind of needed. So, to keep a similar vibe, a local newspaper in 2025 is the perfect target. I say this as a journalist. Good journalism is always needed and will remain, but there was already a lot of crap out there when the industry was changed forever by the internet, and now we have AI making it easier to add to the effluent-filled deluge. Don’t worry, this won’t become a rant, I am just establishing that, unlike the staff working in The Office, I actually like what the people are doing in The Paper.
Anyway, in the show, print circulation is collapsing, half the newsroom has been turned into a warehouse for toilet rolls, and yet – happily – the journalists still cling to the noble idea that what they’re doing matters. It gave me Parks and Rec’s civic optimism vibe, filtered through The Office’s cynicism.
It also means that the characters have more interesting things to do as they start to search for interesting stories.
The Cast
The breakout here is Domhnall Gleeson as Ned Sampson, the wide-eyed new editor-in-chief who thinks he can save the paper. He probably can’t, but watching him try, while the staff roll their eyes, is half the fun.
Sabrina Impacciatore, who I last saw as in intense, slightly eccentric and intimidating character in The White Lotus, plays someone similar as Esmeralda Grand, the long-suffering managing editor. She’s brilliant in the role. And then there’s a fun bit of connectivity – Oscar Nuñez returns as Oscar Martinez, now the newspaper’s accountant, carrying the same weary disbelief he perfected back at Dunder Mifflin.
The supporting cast are really solid too: Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, and Ramona Young all have their moments, and Tracy Letts pops up in a recurring role.
The Tone
Is it funny? Yes. Is it Office Season 2–5 funny? Not quite but I think it’s close. And I am a huge fan of The Office. The Paper has its own rhythm and a different personality. I have worked in offices (when I was young), busy newsrooms for print publications (pre-2006ish), and small modern digital offices that still publish print materials (mostly magazines). I wouldn’t have wanted to work in The Office, with its air off mild desperation, but I would want to work at The Paper – there is an air of hope.
The humor comes less from outlandish characters (there’s no Dwight equivalent) and more from the inherent tragedy-comedy of journalism in decline. Watching reporters get excited about a “big scoop” that’s really just a school board meeting feels painfully true, but is also quite charming. As I said before, it also leads to slightly more interesting storylines.
Critics seem to agree it works. The show launched with an 83% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with The Hollywood Reporter calling it “better than the first season of The Office,” while others, like Rolling Stone, were more cautious—“functional but not yet inspired.” Over on Reddit, fans are comparing it more to Parks and Rec than The Office, noting that the optimism of the newsroom softens the cynicism. I agree.
So, is The Paper worth watching?
What makes The Paper interesting isn’t just the comedy. It’s that it doubles as a love letter to local journalism. Small, local papers are vanishing and it’s sad. They can feature hilariously unimportant news, but they matter to the people involved, provide a sense of community, and are kind of charming. The Paper shines a light – albeit a mildy sarcastic one – on why these places matter/mattered.
Is it groundbreaking television? Probably not. But it doesn’t need to be. I hoped for something similar but different, and that’s what I got. I was surprised to see it pop up on HBO Max (Thailand), but was happy it did. I haven’t had such a fun binge since Silicon Valley.
The Paper is funny, warm, and occasionally poignant. It avoids the trap of being just “The Office but again,” and instead builds a new workplace with familiar feeling. And given that Peacock has already renewed it for a second season before the first one even finished airing, clearly someone has faith in the Truth-Teller’s survival.
tldr; if you liked The Office, you’ll almost certainly enjoy this.
You can check out The Paper here.
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