Fans of The Office now have a new series to look forward to: a spin-off titled The Paper. The show, co-created by Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, premiered on Peacock on September 4. While not set in the world of Dunder Mifflin, it carries the same mockumentary style format and includes several nods to the iconic sitcom that ran from 2005 to 2013.
Daniels and Koman clarified that The Paper was never intended as a reboot but as a follow-up. A few years ago, Daniels, who was one of the showrunners of The Office, was looking for a partner to help him produce The Paper. He reached out to Saturday Night Live alum Michael Koman with the pitch. However, Daniels left out one key detail: the new show would be connected to The Office.
Watch The Paper 2025 on Peacock Outside USA
“When Greg brought the idea of a documentary covering this newspaper, I just thought it was a good idea. I didn’t know until later that it was going to be connected to ‘The Office’!” Michael Koman told Variety. Notably, Koman is married to actress Ellie Kemper, who worked with Daniels in The Office.
Daniels explained that the reason he did not mention the connection at the time was simple. “I didn’t want to scare Michael off,” he said. “The notion of doing some follow-up to ‘The Office’ is, I think, very fraught with danger. The fans are so protective, and I’m super conscious of that.”
The showrunner made it clear that The Paper is not an Office reboot. “I knew that this shouldn’t be recasting the show ‘The Office,’ or keeping the same characters but with a new cast,” Daniels explained. “If it was going to happen at all, it would be the same documentary crew finding a different story to talk about.”
The Paper: Cast and Plot
The Paper follows the story of The Toledo Truthteller, a struggling local newspaper. It blends workplace chaos, eccentric characters and sharp humor, much like The Office, but in a new setting with fresh challenges.
The series stars Domhnall Gleeson as Ned Sampson, Sabrina Impacciatore as Esmeralda Grand, Chelsea Frei as Mare Pritti, Melvin Gregg as Detrick Moore, Gbemisola Ikumelo as Adelola Olofin and Alex Edelman as Adam Cooper, among others.
The show, created by Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, premiered on September 4 and is now available to stream on Peacock.
Source: News18