“In 2005, a documentary crew started filming at a paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. […] 20 years later, they returned.”
These few sentences, along with a cameo from Phillis’ husband Bob Vance provide context for “The Paper,” the new series that’s a spin-off and mockumentary within “The Office” universe.
“The Paper” follows an ensemble of journalists hoping to revive the magic of their local newspaper, “The Toledo Truth Teller.” Similarly to the real world, people in the show refer to newspapers as a dying industry in the digital age.
Ned Sampson (Domhnall Gleeson), Mare Pritti (Chelsea Frei) and Esmeralda Grand (Sabrina Impacciatore) prove that a little passion is all their company needs. There’s always a deeper story if you, like the main characters, are looking for it.
Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, the creators of “The Office,” “The Paper” faces high expectations with its Sept. 4th release on Peacock. Like any spin-off, “The Paper” is challenged with rekindling the flame of its parent series, while also bringing something new to the table.
Though it was off to a rocky start, this season did just that. The same deadpan expressions and shaky camera angles returned, alongside “The Office” regular Oscar, this time finding himself in a new workplace.
Offensive humor doesn’t typically land well in the office, but it does on the screen. The very unfiltered depiction of a 9-5 job makes the series relatable. It’s so bad you have to laugh.
Some of the nods to “The Office” include a theme song that essentially removes the paper-company specific content and replaces them with that of the news room.
In an effort to maintain the quiet, awkward, often inappropriate workplace humor that “The Office” is famous for, “The Paper’s” depiction of a newsroom doesn’t always align with a real-life one, which is chaotic, active, and always moving.
“The Paper” does accurately portray numerous aspects of a career in journalism and can make for a good watch for someone going down that route.
It puts light in the irony of how newspapers thrive when times are bad: serial killers, scandals, sob stories. It’s a dramatized depiction of a journalist’s day-to-day life.
I have to admit, I was hesitant to start the show, like others, due to the expectations “The Office” set for me and the fact that I would inevitably compare the two.
The characters don’t just feel reminiscent of the faces we know and love, they feel like copy and pasted replacements for “The Office’s” characters, designed to fill the void almost too well. This is particularly true for Esmeralda, the managing editor, who takes on the chaotic role of this company’s Michael Scott. It gets a bit exhausting.
While this could be laziness in the writer’s room, it could also be just the opposite. It aligns with the idea that every workplace consists of the same types of people: the overstepping boss, the go-getter, the complainer. It adds to the realism and relatability that make it feel like a true workplace docu-series.
A significant appeal of “The Office” was the slow-burn relationship between Pam and Jim. It’s safe to say “The Paper” is looking to fulfill that same audience (wink-wink).
For the first half of the season, I often found myself bored and feeling like “The Paper” is a failed attempt at duplicating the success of “The Office.” These episodes feel torn between being comedic, inspirational and awkward all at the same time, while never hitting the mark in any of these realms.
By episode six, however, it gains its voice as a standalone series, as the characters’ dynamics settle and the story sets in motion.
As both a journalist and a fan of “The Office”, “The Paper” felt familiar – but putting personal biases aside, I felt disconnected to the show for the first few episodes. After giving it a chance, however, I enjoyed it.
While viewing it for the first time, it’s important to take into consideration that the first season of many shows, including “The Office,” isn’t always a show at its best. Given the mid-season turn around of “The Paper,” I have high hopes for the future of the series.
Rating: 3/5