The Office is undeniably one of the most iconic sitcoms of all time. From its perfection of the mockumentary format to its legendary will they/won’t they between Jim and Pam to its ensemble of iconic characters led by the one and only Michael Scott, the show has left its footprint on television history. But like what happens to most overwhelmingly popular IPs, one day, someone decided that a great idea would be to revamp the show for a modern audience. There was a bit of backlash and a good amount of skepticism when The Paper was announced, but the news ultimately did not significantly move the needle. However, the fact that The Office’s creator Greg Daniels also created this show gave me hope that this would be more than the lazy rehash many were making it out to be. My expectations were not high, per se, but I hoped to have a good time watching this show. And for the most part, I did! The Paper is an enjoyable enough show with a handful of laugh-out-loud jokes. It is not trying to be a replica of The Office, and its greatest moments come when it differentiates itself from its predecessor. 

I actually think that this show would have been better off if it was not branded as a reboot; its premise about the difficulty of publishing proper journalism in the modern era is genuinely compelling and not all that reminiscent of The Office on paper. Our protagonist Ned Sampson (Domhnall Gleeson) is no Michael Scott clone, instead a slightly misguided idealist who loves journalism even though it is dying. His passion for the press is genuinely endearing and drives the best parts of the show. In another interesting twist, The Paper has an antagonist in the form of Esmeralda (Sabrina Impacciatore), who feels slighted by Ned’s installment as editor-in-chief over her. Her antics as she attempts to sabotage the paper are deeply entertaining, and Impacciatore plays this overdramatic woman with so much exuberance that she quickly became the show’s MVP. The first half of the season has Ned rally these largely unskilled employees and turn them into real journalists, while Esmeralda undermines him at every turn. It is an extremely watchable dynamic that I could not get enough of.

Some troubles arise when the show tries to resemble The Office, particularly in its second half. Esmeralda becomes more of a Dwight-esque disruption that is ultimately harmless. Ned becomes more of a Michael Scott-esque incompetent boss. The show even takes a stab at a will they/won’t they, but with mixed results due to how much better some characters work as friends. But really, the core issue is how underutilized the rest of the ensemble is. Only Ned and Mare (Chelsea Frei) have full-time jobs working for the newspaper, so it makes sense that the storylines around the paper are dominated by them, but it is also disappointing that most of the cast feel detached from the main premise. Since it is just Ned and Mare who get screen-time actually working on this paper, it detracts from the charm of the original premise. What was appealing about this show initially was that it was a ragtag team of unlikely journalists revitalizing a decrepit newspaper in the midst of a dying industry. But when the show turns into Ned and Mare going out to investigate everything, it is significantly less captivating. Nearly every other character is underwritten, and I could not tell you any of their personalities or even their names if you asked me. It is also a bit strange that Oscar (Oscar Nuñez) has been brought back without much to do. For a follow-up series of a show that was stacked top to bottom with memorable characters, it is shocking how little material these characters received.

Though I have a lot of issues with the show, I would still watch more of The Paper. The humor is fun, the premise still has a lot of potential, and the first couple of episodes highlight both of these strengths well. But if this show gets renewed, I hope the writers are less afraid of making it distinct from The Office in future seasons. The main aspect this show should pull from their predecessor moving forward is its exceptional utilization of the entire ensemble. With a stronger set of characters, a show like this would become far more enjoyable. I can only hope that it gets the chance to improve.

6/10