“The Paper” premieres Thursday on Peacock, and tidbits about the mockumentary series that follows a ragtag newspaper staff have been making the rounds online.
The Toledo Truth Teller is a historic and apparent ghost newspaper — a publication that nominally exists but has been stripped of most or all local news reporting — in Ohio. It’s also the subject of a new documentary filmed by the same crew that followed Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch in the cult show “The Office.”
We dug around the internet and listened to interviews with some of the cast members to see what we could glean about “The Paper” ahead of the premiere.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Greg Daniels — who adapted the British version of “The Office” for American TV — said he was reluctant to open up the world of the show again after NBC approached him about doing a reboot or spinoff. Five years had gone by since “The Office” aired its finale special in 2013.
“It was such a magical lightning-in-a-bottle kind of experience,” Daniels told the magazine. “It didn’t feel like we needed to say more about the characters.”
But he thought about it, and later approached Emmy winner Michael Koman to be his creative partner in the project. They worked on a pilot, and from that came “The Paper,” which stars Domhnall Gleeson (“Ex Machina”), Sabrina Impacciatore (“The White Lotus”), Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young, Tim Key, and yes, Oscar Nuñez, who starred in “The Office” as Oscar Martínez, the super rational but often exasperated accountant at Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch.
From left to right, Chelsea Frei as Mare and Oscar Nuñez as Oscar Martinez in episode 104 of “The Paper.” (Troy Harvey/Peacock)
In an Aug. 25 episode of the “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast, Daniels said “The Paper” kicks off with the documentary crew trying to find out what’s up with Dunder Mifflin.
“And they find out some stuff, and it leads them in a new direction to a different city. And in the different city, they stumble upon this historic newspaper, which has kind of turned into a ghost newspaper,” he said. “That’s when some other company buys a local newspaper and fires all the reporters and keeps it going (by) selling ads, but they just print wire stories. And so they see this, and they kind of go, ‘Oh, that’s an interesting subject for a documentary.’”
In press notes shared with Poynter, Daniels and Koman gave insight into how much of the new show’s premise is based on the realities facing newspapers.
“This is something that is really happening,” said Koman. “Larger companies are acquiring newspapers, and often these newspapers function as what’s called a ‘ghost paper.’ Having a name that people recognize keeps them going, but they mostly carry stories from the A.P. wire and have fewer reporters. But there are still a number of them trying to do more with less, and they deserve all the credit in the world.”
A 2023 report from the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media found, “Routine government meetings are not covered, for example, leaving citizens with little information about proposed tax hikes, local candidates for office or important policy issues that must be decided.”
From left to right, Alex Edelman as Adam, Gbemisola Ikumelo as Adelola, Domhnall Gleeson as Ned and Melvin Gregg as Detrick, in episode 102 of “The Paper.” (Aaron Epstein/Peacock)
In the case of the fictional newspaper at the heart of “The Paper,” Daniels said the new editor-in-chief (played by Gleeson) has a lot of ideas to “bulk up original, local coverage,” but he doesn’t have the money to hire new journalists. “Still, he inspires staff who work in circulation, as truck drivers or ad salesmen or accountants to pitch in — and that becomes his news team,” Daniels said. “They’re dedicated amateurs with a lot to learn.”
“The Paper” kicks off with the arrival of Ned Sampson as the new editor. The day that the documentary crew arrives is Ned’s first day on the job, the Irish actor revealed in an interview on “Office Ladies,” Audacy’s podcast hosted by “The Office” stars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey.
“He is very low on experience, but high on intensity and intention, and hope. He’s quite an optimistic person,” Gleeson said of his character. “And he arrives into a place that’s not all that enthused about being a paper, and he wants to make it something special. That’s his idea.”
When asked to share any storylines from “The Paper” over the 10 episodes, Gleeson said Ned’s relationship with the paper is the most important. His character, the Irish actor said, has “got a lot of romance” about what it is to be a part of a paper, and what it should be, despite overwhelming odds.
Italian actress Sabrina Impacciatore also joined “Office Ladies” and revealed details about her character, Esmeralda Grand. Grand is managing editor at The Toledo Truth Teller.
“What doesn’t she do, I would say, because she does everything she can to just try to stay where she is,” Impacciatore said of her character. “This is kind of (a) crazy character. She could do anything. To me, she’s someone that needs to survive. But for her, to survive is a very personal concept. So every time she feels threatened by something, she uses anything she can — even the worst things possible — just to protect herself. So I see her like a little wild animal. And then she’s the only Italian.”
Domhnall Gleeson as Ned and Sabrina Impacciatore as Esmeralda in “The Paper.” (Troy Harvey/Peacock)
Impacciatore said her character is not a real journalist. She’s just someone who “pretends to be anything” because she has to make it. She added that Esmeralda’s job was supposed to be the editor-in-chief of the Truth Teller.
“She was very happy about this, very proud,” the actress said. “And then this guy arrives.”
Impacciatore was referring to Sampson, Gleeson’s character. Now Esmeralda has to find her place in what Impacciatore described as a “new hierarchy.”
With a documentary crew now focused on The Toledo Truth Teller, Esmeralda somehow believes this will make her a star.
“She acts like a star,” Impacciatore said. “She behaves like a star.”
Impacciatore, who earned an Emmy nomination for her role as hotel manager Valentina on season two of “The White Lotus,” was new to “The Office.” “I didn’t know about this show. I was the only one on this planet,” she said, prompting laughter from the hosts, “that hadn’t seen this show.”
Oscar Nuñez, a familiar face for fans of “The Office,” reprises his role as Dunder Mifflin accountant Oscar Martínez. According to Entertainment Weekly, Oscar has relocated from Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the years since “The Office” wrapped in 2013 and now works as head accountant for The Toledo Truth Teller. At the paper, he gets caught up in managing editor Esmeralda’s schemes to undermine their new editor-in-chief.
Nuñez told the magazine that reviving his character was “like riding a bicycle.”
“He’s probably glad to get out of Scranton. And I hope he’s getting more money.”
Learn more about “The Paper” here. All 10 episodes will be available to stream on Peacock on Thursday, Sept. 4.
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