The Office is one of those shows you can watch over and over again, and when it ended, fans felt a loss. But now, Dunder Mifflin is back… well, sort of. Enter The Paper, an offshoot of NBC’s beloved series, swapping paper sales for newspaper deadlines. This time, we’re in the chaotic offices of the Toledo Truth Teller, a struggling Midwestern paper that just happens to employ one familiar face: Oscar Martinez, played once again by Oscar Nuñez.
The mockumentary comedy, co-created by The Office’s Greg Daniels and Nathan for You’s Michael Koman, premieres Sept. 4 on Peacock with four episodes. In the trailer, ambitious new editor-in-chief Ned Sampson (Domhnall Gleeson) sweeps in, armed with big ideas to revive the paper — ideas that must survive both brutal budget cuts and a ragtag newsroom staff. The reporters share office space with… a toilet paper company. Yes, really. The ensemble includes Sabrina Impacciatore, Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young, Tim Key, and Nuñez, with guest spots from Eric Rahill, Tracy Letts, Molly Ephraim, Mo Welch, Allan Havey, Duane Shepard Sr., Nate Jackson, and Nancy Lenehan.
Netizens react
But the trailer’s release lit up social media, and not entirely in the way one might have hoped. One long-time fan warned: “Someone who has watched The Office ten times and basically has it memorised — if you guys ruin the show, there will be riots led by yours truly. That being said, it’s nice to see Oscar again, and I hope that this show is really funny.” Others were less optimistic. “Whoever put the trailer together should be ashamed,” one post read. “The clip of the meeting has some promise, and Oscar is good of course, but nothing else is really standing out.”
{{/usCountry}}But the trailer’s release lit up social media, and not entirely in the way one might have hoped. One long-time fan warned: “Someone who has watched The Office ten times and basically has it memorised — if you guys ruin the show, there will be riots led by yours truly. That being said, it’s nice to see Oscar again, and I hope that this show is really funny.” Others were less optimistic. “Whoever put the trailer together should be ashamed,” one post read. “The clip of the meeting has some promise, and Oscar is good of course, but nothing else is really standing out.”
{{/usCountry}}Surprisingly, that sentiment kept popping up. “It feels like it takes place in the same building..? Like it feels like the same sets. More boring than expected!” wrote another, while one person flatly declared, “This looks terrible. Please don’t release it.” A few felt the tone was off from the start, with one comparing it to a different NBC comedy entirely: “Really feels more in the vein of Parks & Rec than The Office. Immediately paints itself as ‘look at this ragtag group that can do anything they set their mind to.’ Wish it wasn’t set in The Office universe because it’s going to be nothing like The Office.”
Other comments followed the same path. “Oscar being so anti-the entire premise of this was the only good bit in this trailer. Might just carry the show,” one admitted. Another quipped, “The only time I laughed was the last six seconds… oof, this looks bad.” Others went even darker: “I laughed more at my grandmother’s funeral,” one said. And yet another cut right to the chase: “Best part was seeing Oscar, other than that it felt more like Parks & Rec than The Office.” Perhaps the most brutally confident review came from a fan who predicted the series’ fate before it even airs: “I’ll be here for the ‘NBC has cancelled The Paper after 1 season.’”
Whether The Paper proves them wrong remains to be seen — but one thing’s for sure: in the eyes of The Office’s fiercely protective fanbase, reviving that universe is a risk that comes with paper-thin patience.