When The Office ended its nine-season run in 2013, executive producer Greg Daniels basically crumpled up all his notions about a reboot and tossed them in the trash along with all the misbegotten products from the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.
“I didn’t ever want to do it,” Daniels tells the Television Academy. “We couldn’t get the whole cast back together, and there was so much closure in the finale. We just didn’t need to open up those characters again.”
But a fresh workplace cringe comedy set in the same universe . . .? Holy Schrute, now we’re talking.
In The Paper, the documentary crew from The Office uproots from Scranton, Pennsylvania, to Toledo, Ohio, where they chronicle the goings-on at The Toledo Truth Teller. The once historic newspaper, now owned by the same conglomerate that absorbed Dunder Mifflin, is mired in a financial black hole and must rely on wire services and volunteer staffers to put out its product. Enter new editor-in-chief Ned Sampson (Domnhall Gleeson), who’s determined to rouse his reporters and return the paper to glory. All ten episodes will be available to stream on Peacock starting September 4.
“This is the only kind of story that made sense to me,” Daniels says. “There’s connective tissue, and a newspaper trying to cut costs while covering the local community would be attractive to that documentary crew. Especially if there’s a guy trying to fight against that.”
The Emmy-winning Daniels hammered out the narrative with Michael Koman, the co-creator of Comedy Central’s satirical docuseries Nathan for You. “Greg and I had been working on a different project,” Koman explains. “But when he described the idea to me — and really all I heard was ‘newspaper’ — I said ‘Yes.’ I just liked how the characters would be aware they’re being filmed and be self-conscious in a way that’s hopefully fun and interesting.” (Daniels and Koman serve as show-runners and executive producers.)
Of course, The Office only centered around paper supplies in the way that Cheers centered around alcohol. Like any strong comedy, the right ensemble is what stirs the drink. “Casting is at least 80 percent of a show’s [success],” Daniels says. “The moment we had our cast, I was like ‘All right, this is going to work.’”
The production first approached Gleeson to play the idealistic and endearingly goofy Ned. The Irish actor, who first made his mark playing a Star Wars villain of all things, read the pilot script and quickly signed on.
“I really liked that, even though it’s related to The Office, it was totally doing its own thing,” says the actor, a pre-existing fan of both the BBC and NBC versions of the comedy. “It felt tackle-able, if that’s a word.”
To get into Midwest mode, Gleeson even traveled to Cincinnati, Columbus and Toledo and toured various newsrooms. “I’d never been to that part of the country, so I wanted to get a sense of the place beyond the accent,” he adds.
Gleeson's onscreen foil is played by Sabrina Impacciatore, the Italian actress best known for portraying the hotel manager in the second season of The White Lotus. Here, her Esmeralda Grand brightens up the beige walls as a diva reality star-turned managing editor. “We auditioned Sabrina and she blew us away,” Koman says. “She was a wonderful surprise.”
The rest of the newsroom is filled out by a mix of familiar and new-ish faces. “They’re super people and super actors,” Gleeson offers. Chelsea Frei (The Life List) is Mare, a former military reporter who develops a Jim-and-Pam-like flirtation with Ned. Melvin Gregg (American Vandal) plays Detrick, who harbors a crush on coworker Nicole (Never Have I Ever’s Ramona Young). Alex Edelman (Just for Us) and Gbemisola Ikumelo (A League of Their Own) toil in the accounting department — and just like some Office alums, they’re on the show’s writing staff, too.
And Oscar Nuñez's Oscar, last seen running for state senator in Pennsylvania, has started anew as The Truth Teller’s head accountant — and none too pleased to see those pesky cameras. Tip: Always read the fine print of a release form!
Daniels uses the term “mouthfeel.” It’s typically an industry reference for the quality of cooking in restaurant kitchens. In this context, he’s describing the unmistakable tone of The Paper. Sure, we have the unseen documentary crew and the ever-put-upon Oscar. But this is still a new show with new characters in a new place that feels like a welcome old friend.
“There was a certain poignancy to The Office,” he explains. “They were ordinary people. Their jobs were sometimes dispiriting and they weren’t doing anything glamorous and the digital world was replacing the notebooks they’re selling.” The same philosophy applies to its spin-off: “People have a lot of positive memories of newspapers. We’re telling you that if everybody on this staff values it, here’s what this newspaper could be.”
So let’s end with a special report from the set of the first episode, which Daniels directed. “There was a lot of exploring and working things out,” he says. “But it was also inspiring and exciting to be like, ‘Oh, these guys really have the skills!’ And we’ve steered them away from playing Office-type characters for something original.”
The Paper premieres Sept. 4 on Peacock.
