Everyone remembers the American version of “The Office,” that 2005 NBC comedy gem that turned Steve Carell into a household name, created one of the original ‘ships in Jim and Pam, and had everyone obsessed with beets and bears. That show has been off the air since 2013, but there are more than a dozen international formats to check out, each with variations of the same characters working in an office setting.
Since then, there’s also been plenty of American mockumentaries keeping “The Office” spirit alive, from “Abbott Elementary” to “St. Denis Medical.” But there’s been nothing quite like the Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant format that started it all.
Until now that is. “The Paper” hopes to fill the single-cam, mockumentary void its predecessor left behind, with roots from the original tying both shows together. While the series has its moments, it may not be what fans of the critically acclaimed, Emmy-winning series are hoping for. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
While “The Office” featured a documentary crew following Dunder Mifflin employees who sold paper, this series from Greg Daniels and Michael Koman features that same crew capturing a new kind of pulp: a community newspaper named the Toledo Truth Teller. TTT once used its entire building to house some 1,000 employees. Now, a handful remain employed on the same floor as a toilet paper salesforce. Both companies share the same owners, bosses and accounting team, which is how original “Office” star Oscar Nuñez returns as Oscar Martinez.
“The Paper” kicks off with the hiring of new Editor-in-Chief Ned Sampson (Domhnall Gleeson), a former toilet paper salesman with a journalism degree who is set on returning the Truth Teller to its former glory. But as he transitions the paper from its wire-service, clickbait status, he’s met with resistance from managing editor Esmeralda Grand, played by “The White Lotus” star Sabrina Impacciatore.
Ned realizes his only qualified staff member, Mare Pritti (Chelsea Frei) can’t hold up the entire paper, so he works out a deal that allows other floor employees to contribute a few hours a week from their regular duties. From there a daily frenzy of deadlines and learnings ensues, with one-off stories and interoffice relationships for the cameras to follow.
The key to these characters is that, unlike international versions of “The Office,” they aren’t derivative tropes. There are no Dwight Schrute-inspired tattletales or Jim Halpert eye rolls. There are interoffice crushes and potential romances, but they aren’t always between the characters you’d expect.
Esmeralda is the most lavish and polarizing character, but several episodes in she does what most memorable comedy characters do: She captures your heart by slowly letting down her guard. By Episode 5 you learn she’s more than the spicy single mom she purports to be and begins interacting with her co-workers in a more positive way. Impacciatore is, in other words, imperfectly impeccable.
Elsewhere in the building, manager Ken (Tim King) is the company’s other questionable hire, with his obvious biases and fragile male ego that’s played for comedy whenever he appears on screen. That character is also a bit much at the outset, but he often appears alongside the top dog Marv (Allan Havey) who grounds him and puts him in his place when necessary.
As the fearless leader and main character, it’s Ned who sells the entire premise. He has a contagiously romanticized view of the press and is in denial of journalism’s decline. He teaches his co-workers about double sources, the five Ws, the separation of church and state and discerning fact from fiction, making a direct parallel between social media influencers and journalists.
The series doesn’t hit viewers over the head with it, but in its own subtle way the team reminds audiences that real journalism is indeed different than that video of the dude with 300,000 followers. All right, to be fair, that reminder isn’t so subtle in Episode 4, “TTT Vs. The Blogger.”
By the time the series lands on Episode 6, “Churnalism,” the supporting cast gels together in a delightful way as they test Amazon products a la Wirecutter. It’s one of the strongest of the first season’s 10 installments, and follows supporting characters like Nicole (Ramona Young) and Detrick (Melvin Gregg) home, while creating new dynamics between characters like Oscar and fellow accountant Adelola (Gbemisola Ikumelo).
It’s not “The Office,” but if episodes like these are any indication there are lots of places “The Paper” could go in future seasons as the creative team digs into the different cast members and incorporates the supporting characters who work in the toilet paper division. For now it’s an easy binge watch.
Most importantly, “The Paper” is a show with heart that doesn’t make fun of the dying newspaper industry. If anything it’s a love letter to journalism and the news, and reminds viewers of the importance of true reporting. From the opening credits, which feature an array of scenes with newspapers, to the underdog staff pumping out each issue to get to the heart of what’s happening in the community, you can’t help but root for this team with each successful issue.
Like real journalism, it’s unclear how long the model will be financially viable, how the paper will attract more subscribers and advertisers, or where the intersection between online and print truly lies. But “The Paper” is a heartfelt, Pollyanna look at an industry that still matters, and is filled with fun and watchable characters that feel right at home in your living room week after week.
“The Paper” premieres Thursday, Sept. 4, on Peacock.