*Contains Spoilers*
“The Paper” might be one of the most underrated comedies of 2026. As a spin off of the beloved TV series “The Office,” the show takes place in an office setting and follows a group of co-workers navigating life as new journalists. The show has love, drama and a cliffhanger that all starts in a newspaper office.
The Toledo Truth Teller is the newspaper where the cast is currently employed at, Although it has a very small staff and most of the people working there are not journalists, Ned Sampson (Domhnall Gleeson) is able to turn it into one of the most successful newspapers in Ohio. With a lot of hard work, encouragement and motivation, he is able to win over his staff all the while reinstating the respectability and credibility the paper once had.
Season 2 mainly focuses on a previously established romance between the main protagonist Ned Sampson and Mare Pritti (Chelsea Frei) and how they unsuccessfully attempt to hide their relationship from their co-workers at “The Toledo Truth Teller” newspaper. The season reveals the challenges of hiding a relationship from co-workers, especially because it is between a boss and an employee. It ultimately leads to Mare having to find another job because of Ned and being forced to navigate a relationship that was once fueled by their close proximity.
The season also develops many in-office friendships such as Adelola Olofin (Gbemisola Ikumelo) and Travis Bienlien (Eric Rahill). They are complete opposites, but their constant journalistic partnership brings them closer together. On the other hand, characters such as Esmeralda Grand (Sabrina Impacciatore), who constantly preyed on the downfall of the newspaper in Season 1, had many unforgettable moments such as being demoted and finally feeling repercussions for her negative behavior.
The character’s individual qualities were also shown more in the second season versus the first. The audience learns more about Marv (Allan Harvey), the CEO of the company that runs the newspaper and how dynamics are shifted, such as Ned and Mare, once he becomes more involved. Similarly, the audience learns how the breakup between Nicole Lee (Ramona Young) and Detrick Moore (Melvin Gregg) changed their characters. Nicole, although initially not wanting to be with Detrick, felt his absence after the breakup and spent the majority of the second season trying to regain his attention. On the other hand, Detrick, who was once obsessed with Nicole, did not feel those intense emotions anymore and completely disregarded his relationship with her.
The dynamics between characters create humorous and memorable moments and really that sets “The Paper” apart. Aside from moments when characters break the fourth wall or set up a funny joke, the relationships between the characters are what complete the show and amplify the comedy.
Screenwriter and actor Alan Cooper, who plays Alex Edelman in the show, revealed that there have been several moments in the show that are pulled from real comedic moments behind the scenes. In an interview with The Highlander, Cooper stated “sometimes the way somebody acts that is annoying will find its way into a character.” He then also added an anecdote from his own character, Adam, and stated that while developing his character, the idea was that “at home Adam doesn’t get to play because he has kids, so the office has become a place with a lot of toys” he is able to play with.
Additionally, something unique about the cast of the show is how much of their own personality is included into the show. As Cooper stated, the director Greg Daniels sometimes has the cast work on set as if it was a real office and because of this “you wind up with really real moments when you are messing around and lose yourself in the character a bit.” This layer of reality adds authenticity to the show that is really easy to pick up on by audiences.
Oscar Nuñez then stated in regards to personal qualities being attributed to the characters, “As the show goes on what Alex is talking about will happen and they will incorporate them into the characters.” The actors then concluded the interview stating how hopeful they are for future seasons to continue being better than the last and characters having the opportunity to have more personal comedic moments.
“The Paper” can be fun to viewers of all ages, regardless of if they’ve watched “The Office” or not. Comedic moments were created behind the scenes and were showcased to the public and they were received well. Since the show is still in its early stages, the characters still have a lot of room for growth and the story possibilities are still endless.
