REVIEW: ‘The Paper’ Season 1 Lacks Conviction

The Office popularized the mockumentary style of TV shows, but it never had a proper spin-off show. Parks and Recreation, while originally conceived as a spin-off, became its own thing under the same showrunners. The Office Season 9 Episode 17, “The Farm,” served as a backdoor pilot for a Dwight Shrute spin-off, but NBC never picked it up.

But now, 20 years since the American version of Ricky Gervais’ office comedy premiered, its spin-off has arrived in the form of Peacock’s The Paper. Despite how much spin-off shows deserve to be considered as their own entity, comparisons can’t help but be drawn, especially in the case of The Paper. Where The Office succeeded in telling the story of the outrageous and ridiculous workers of a droll paper company, The Paper is too tame in its conception of its characters. For a show about a newspaper company hellbent on delivering “the truth,” it lacks conviction in itself.

The Paper follows a ragtag group of amateur journalists who are trying to revitalize Toledo, Ohio’s Truth Teller under the tutelage of Ned Sampson (Domnhall Gleeson), the new Editor-in-Chief. The Truth Teller is owned by parent company Softees, a toilet paper company whose employees sit on the same floor as the Truth Teller journalists, adding a familiar layer to what is essentially a mockumentary about another paper company.

Domnhall Gleeson brings a lot of heart and enthusiasm to the role of Ned Sampson. 

As the lead, Gleeson brings a lot of heart and enthusiasm to the Truth Teller offices. Equipped with a boyish charm and a penchant for truth that veers into cringe, Ned is a healthy mix of Michael Scott and Leslie Knope. However, this middling ground between outlandish and passion for his job leaves you wanting more from him. There’s potential in this character, but he feels too familiar and lacks dimension at times. 

The rest of the staff take a while to come into focus, but they start to take shape later in the season. Characters like Nicole (Ramona Young) and Detrick (Melvin Gregg) are highlights as the season progresses. Esmeralda Grand (Sabrina Impacciatore) plays second to Ned. If we continue the comparisons to The Office, she’s a lot like Dwight, after the boss’s job and outlandish in all the best ways.

Also included in the main cast is Oscar Núñez, reprising his role as Oscar Martinez from The Office. Oscar, now an accountant for the Truth Teller, spends much of the season generally aggrieved by the presence of the documentary crew, who are the same crew that followed the employees of Dunder Mifflin. This does provide some good laughs, if only because it leans on nostalgia. His gradual acceptance of the documentary crew is one of the more well-earned aspects of the season.

The Paper lacks conviction and seems afraid to push the envelope.

While the documentary crew stayed largely anonymous throughout most of The Office, their presence is more noticeable in The Paper. Title cards occasionally provide additional information or serve as a punchline to a joke following a talking head interview. The structure works well enough and offers a unique spin on a format that often overlooks the framework of the show’s premise. 

Mare (Chelsea Frei) offers a more grounded presence as one of the only real journalists on staff, and it’s through her character that the journalism aspect of the show is alive and well. A comedy about a newspaper in this day and age is an interesting choice. Not only are newspapers a dying medium, but journalism itself is at the mercy of misinformation campaigns and greedy businessmen only concerned with money.

Journalists and freelancers often find themselves competing with AI, as well as SEO and clickbait headlines, in the quest for the best clicks. The Paper is only marginally concerned about these topics. Even its opening title sequence, reminiscent of The Office’s quirky little tune, pokes fun at the dying nature and irrelevance of newspapers.

In this first season, The Paper leans too heavily on its Office DNA.

It’s an apt metaphor for the series. What’s the point of another mockumentary series, especially one with close ties to a show that’s been off the air for 12 years? This is where the show’s conviction feels lacking. There are nods to the state of online journalism, mainly focusing on clickbait, but the rise of the Truth Teller’s validity in Toledo often feels like an afterthought. By the time the finale rolls around and the staff finds themselves nominated in various categories, it hardly feels earned. 

Ironically, one of the better episodes of The Paper is Episode 8, titled “Church and State,” and centers around the parent company Softees as the employees try to sell as much toilet paper product as they can following a scandal. Sound familiar? In this first season, The Paper leans too heavily on its Office DNA but constantly leaves you with a sense of “that’s it?” Picture the moment in a TV show that pulled you in, the moment that made you go, “This show’s really something.” I’m still waiting for that moment in The Paper.

But here’s another similarity between the two shows — The Office was bad in Season 1 as well. However, these are different times in the television landscape. The business of streaming has dominated the way TV shows are released, canceled, or renewed for over a decade now. The Paper, initially scheduled for a weekly rollout, releases all of its episodes Sept. 4.

There are brief moments when The Paper appears to be a solid mockumentary comedy.

While the show struggles to find its identity through Season 1, there’s something there underneath the tight grip it has on its parent show. Now the question is, will The Paper be given the chance to find its voice, just as the Truth Teller does through the sheer determination of its amateur journalists and an enthusiastic boss? Just as The Office did with its own Season 2?

The Paper has its moments of being a solid mockumentary comedy, but it’s too tame, like it’s afraid to push the envelope any further than just getting by as a comedy series. 

All episodes of The Paper Season 1 will be available on Peacock on September 4.