Peacock’s new sitcom The Paper, billed as a spinoff of the American version of The Office, returns viewers to the franchise’s mockumentary world but has drawn early criticism that it does not match the original’s comedic heights.
Created by Greg Daniels, a co-creator of the U.S. Office, and Michael Koman, The Paper follows a historic Midwestern newspaper, the Toledo Truth Teller, and the documentary crew that once chronicled the Scranton, Pennsylvania, Dunder Mifflin branch. Domhnall Gleeson stars as Ned Sampson, an optimistic editor-in-chief who aims to restore the paper’s fortunes while a publisher struggles to breathe new life into the institution. The concept was inspired in part by reporting Daniels encountered on so-called "ghost newspapers," local publications that continue to exist in paper or name only.
Early reviews, including a critique in HuffPost, describe the series as a slight departure from the tone many viewers associate with The Office and summarize the reception bluntly: "unfortunately, it's not as funny." The Paper maintains the franchise’s documentary-camera conceit and reconnects the format with a different workplace — local journalism rather than paper sales — but reviewers say the payoff is more subdued humor than the sharper, character-driven comedy that defined the original series.
The choice to set the series in a struggling newspaper ties the fiction to realities facing local journalism. The series frames Sampson’s efforts to revive an institution under economic pressure, a premise that allows exploration of newsroom dynamics and community coverage at a time when many local outlets have contracted or closed. That real-world undercurrent informed Daniels’ creative impetus and shaped the series’ narrative focus.
The return of the documentary crew that filmed the Scranton branch is a connective tissue meant to anchor the spinoff in the established universe. The Paper does not place its characters in the same office as Michael Scott, the eccentric manager played by Steve Carell, but the presence of the crew implies continuity of tone and format even as the show’s subject matter and style diverge.
Industry observers and viewers have noted the challenge of reviving a beloved franchise two decades after the original gained cultural prominence. The Paper’s creators opted for a different workplace and a more grounded storyline, which some critics welcome as fresh direction and others view as a reduction in the comedic bite that distinguished The Office. Audience reaction and critical analysis will continue to accumulate as more episodes are released and more viewers weigh the balance between nostalgia and reinvention.
The Paper is available on Peacock. Early reviews underscore that while the series revisits familiar structural elements of the mockumentary format, it aims to tell a different kind of workplace story — one rooted in the pressures on local newsrooms — and that effort has produced a mixed critical response regarding its comedic effectiveness.