The Paper is an American mockumentary sitcom series created by Greg Daniels and Michael Koman. The series is a follow-up to and spinoff of the American mockumentary series The Office which originally ran on NBC from 2005 to 2013. The series stars Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore, alongside Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young, and Tim Key, with Oscar Nunez reprising his role from The Office. In Toledo, Ohio, the same documentary crew that followed the workers at Dunder Mifflin's Scranton, Pennsylvania branch twenty years earlier focuses its efforts on the Toledo Truth Teller, a historic but declining Midwestern newspaper trying to resurrect itself with volunteer reporters.
The Paper premiered on Peacock on September 4, 2025, with its ten-episode first season. In September 2025, ahead of the series premiere, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on September 9, 2026.
Contents
Cast
Main
Domhnall Gleeson as Ned Sampson, the new editor-in-chief of the Toledo Truth Teller; he is a former Softees toilet paper salesman and hopes to return the Truth Teller to its former glory.
Sabrina Impacciatore as Esmeralda Grand, the brash managing editor of Toledo Truth Teller and TTT Online who is resistant to Ned's plans, as she is content to fill the paper with wire articles and clickbait.
Chelsea Frei as Mare Pritti, the paper's compositor; she is a former Army war correspondent who wrote for Stars and Stripes and is excited to work as a reporter again under Ned.
Melvin Gregg as Detrick Moore, the people-pleasing advertising sales rep for the paper; he is romantically interested in Nicole.
Gbemisola Ikumelo as Adelola Olofin, an accountant working under Oscar who is often wary of the antics of her coworkers.
Alex Edelman as Adam Cooper, a socially awkward, sheltered accountant on Oscar's team. He has four young children, as his wife does not believe in using contraception.
Ramona Young as Nicole Lee, the circulation department staffer; she is Mare's best friend and frequently at odds with Esmeralda, who treats her as a personal assistant.
Tim Key as Ken Davies, Enervate's corporate strategist. Ken is bumbling and overbearing, often teaming up with Esmeralda to work against Ned.
Oscar Nunez as Oscar Martinez, an accountant who previously worked at the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of Dunder Mifflin. Nunez reprises his role from The Office. He is the head accountant in the Enervate office shared by the Toledo Truth Teller and the Toledo branch of Softees, a toilet paper brand. He is resistant to the documentary team's presence after his experience at Dunder Mifflin.
Recurring
Allan Havey as Marv Putnam, CEO of Enervate; he is open to Ned's ideas for the paper as long as they do not lose the company money.
Nate Jackson as Nate Wells, a janitor at Truth Teller Tower
Mo Welch as Kimberly, a sales rep for Softees who is friends with Mare
Nancy Lenehan as Ann Putnam, Marv's assistant and sister-in-law
Molly Ephraim as Summer, Adam's overbearing and religious wife with whom he has four children
Tracy Letts as John Stack, a former Editor-In-Chief from the 1970s
Guest
Robert R. Shafer as Bob Vance, reprising his role from The Office
Josh Holloway as himself
Matt Peters as Gary
Tawny Newsome as Harper Brewster
Michael Hitchcock as Mr. K
Linda Park as a television commercial casting director
Chris Witaske as Theo
Episodes
Production
Development
In January 2024, it was announced that Greg Daniels, the developer of the American mockumentary sitcom The Office, was developing a follow-up series set in a new office with new characters, but based in the same fictional universe as the original series. In March 2024, it was announced that the spinoff series would be co-created by Daniels and Michael Koman.
In May 2024, it was announced that Peacock had ordered the untitled comedy mockumentary series co-created by Daniels and Koman, which will feature the fictional documentary crew that followed the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin, follow a declining historic Midwestern newspaper and its publisher try to resurrect itself with volunteer reporters. In June 2024, the series title was revealed to be The Paper. Production of the series began in July 2024. The fictional newspaper around which the series is based was later revealed to be called The Truth Teller, located in Toledo, Ohio.
The series is executive produced by Greg Daniels, Michael Koman, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Howard Klein, and Ben Silverman. Production companies involved with the series are Universal Television. In September 2025, ahead of the series premiere, Peacock renewed the series for a second season.
Casting
In April 2024, it was announced that Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore would be starring in the series. In September 2024, Melvin Gregg, Chelsea Frei and Ramona Young joined the cast. The following month, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Tim Key, and Eric Rahill were cast, with Allan Havey, Nancy Lenehan, Molly Ephraim and Tracy Letts added to the recurring cast in November. In February 2025, it was announced that Oscar Nunez would be reprising his role as Oscar Martinez from The Office. In June 2026, it was announced that Jon Lovitz, Andy Richter, Lisa Gilroy, Matt Braunger, Toks Olagundoye and Phil Hendrie would guest star in the second season.
Release
The Paper premiered on Peacock on September 4, 2025, with all 10 episodes. It made its broadcast debut on NBC on November 10, 2025. The second season is scheduled to be released on September 9, 2026.
In Australia, it streams on Binge and airs on Foxtel. In the UK and Ireland, it streams on Now and airs on Sky UK. In Canada, it streams on StackTV and aired on Showcase.
Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 85% based on 108 critic reviews with an average score of 7.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "The Paper still has edits to be made but gets off to a promising start, establishing amusing dynamics and a genuine conviction for journalism that make for a potentially worthy successor to The Office." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100 based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Aramide Tinubu of Variety gave a generally positive review, noting that the first half of the season "feels a bit clunky" (reminiscent of both the first seasons of Parks and Recreation and The Office), but by episode 5, "showcases what The Paper could be, and paves the way for the remaining episodes, which are as hilarious as they are memorable." Liam Matthews of TV Guide rated it 6 out of 10 and wrote, "The Paper has funny jokes and enjoyable performances, and is pretty instantly forgettable — a disappointing outcome for any show, but doubly so for the follow-up to an unforgettable one."
The second season has a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 80% based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. On Metacritic, it has a score of 76 out of 100 based on 8 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Writing for The Guardian, Stuart Heritage called it "one of the best comedies on TV right now," particularly praising Impacciatore's performance. Jackson McHenry of Vulture gave it a mixed review, writing that the show is a "sitcom trying to fool itself" and that in order to improve, it "needs to forge something new and idiosyncratic."
Viewership
The Paper was among the top ten original streaming series during the first two weeks of September 2025. According to ranking data from ShowLabs, The Paper ranked #1 on Peacock in the United States from September 4–14, 2025.