The impact of Steve Carell’s The Office on NBC is so strong in pop culture that many American audiences don’t even realize that it was a fresh spin on a hit BBC series. In fact, since that original UK show back in 2001, there have been more than a dozen different iterations of the idea in various countries, all of which put their own spins on the idea of a mockumentary being filmed within a mundane office setting. In some cases, some of these reimaginings only ran for a few seasons, but like with the NBC series or the German The Office, the series has long outlasted the source material.
Confirming just how much potential there is in the seemingly straightforward concept, last year saw the debut of The Paper, a spin-off of the American The Office. While many had wondered if the project would be a sequel series or focus on the main cast members of the previous show, the connection was largely behind-the-scenes figures who aimed to replicate the blend of humor and heart of the previous take on the concept. The Paper did bring back Oscar Nunez as Oscar Martinez, though, showing how the former Dunder-Mifflin accountant fared at the Toledo Truth Teller newspaper.
A new trailer for Season 2 of The Paper has been released, which you can watch above. The trailer also confirmed when the series would be returning, as it has a premiere date of Sep. 9. Peacock describes the new season, “After sweeping the Ohio Journalism Awards, Ned searches for a journalistic crusade, coming for a local private club and jeopardizing the paper, while he and Mare try to figure out their attraction, Esmeralda struggles to find her place, and the staff gradually mature as reporters.”
The series also stars Domhnall Gleeson, Sabrina Impacciatore, Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Tim Key, Ramona Young, Eric Rahill, Duane Shepard Sr., and Alex Edelman.
Understandably, there was some initial apprehension about the series, given that it took a decade to come to fruition and there’s automatically some worry about replicating the success of such an accomplished program. Over on Rotten Tomatoes, the series scored 85% positive reviews, signifying it was more than just a cash grab. What’s worth noting, though, is that this score actually puts its critical reviews ahead of what the American The Office earned in 2005, as it only scored 71% positive.
NBC’s The Office debuted as a six-episode mid-season replacement, with the debut episode being a nearly identical remake of the series premiere of the original The Office. After its underwhelming start, Seasons 2, 3, and 5 all earned 100% positive reviews, with Season 8 being the only season deemed “Rotten.”
In just a few weeks, we’ll find out if The Paper replicates the success of The Office and just gets better, or if it becomes another short-lived spin-off.
The Paper
- Release Date
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September 4, 2025
- Network
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Peacock
- Directors
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David Rogers, Jason Woliner, Jeffrey Blitz, Jennifer Celotta, Ken Kwapis, Matt Sohn, Paul Lieberstein, Yana Gorskaya
- Writers
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L.E. Correia, Michael Levin, Alex Edelman, Patrick Kang, Ben Philippe, Eric Rahill
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Sabrina Impacciatore
Esmeralda Grand
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Melvin Gregg
Detrick Moore
