It’s not often that a spinoff lives up to the charm of its predecessor, but The Paper makes a strong case for being a faithful follow-up to The Office. The legendary sitcom ran for nine seasons from 2005 until 2013 and made stars out of Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Mindy Kaling, and Rainn Wilson. More than a decade after the documentary crew left Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch, the anticipated The Office spinoff series The Paper debuted on Peacock on September 4th, and it’s already outperforming the flagship show on Rotten Tomatoes.
Videos by ComicBook.com
All 10 episodes of The Paper Season 1 are now streaming on Peacock. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, the series takes the documentary film crew from The Office from Scranton, Pennsylvania, to Toledo, Ohio, where the historic Midwestern newspaper the Toledo Truth-Teller is in decline. The series centers on the lives of the volunteer reporters attempting to revive it. Starring Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore, with Oscar Nunez reprising his role as Oscar Martinez, The Paper debuted with an 85% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 54 critic reviews, four points higher than The Office’s 81% rating, aggregated across all nine of its seasons.
Why You Should Watch The Paper
Whereas The Office struggled to find its footing in Season 1, The Paper has hit the ground running, quickly proving to be a successful follow-up to a legendary series. ComicBook’s Charlie Ridgely gave the show a 4 out of 5 rating as he described it as a “fully realized series that will charm you out of the gate with its endearing characters, delivering a 10-episode season that you’ll immediately wish was longer.” The series was also praised as a “great comedy” that “aims to be super relevant in today’s media landscape and absolutely hits its target.”
Dexerto‘s Cameron Frew sang similar praise, calling The Paper “a sitcom that’s not only worthy of its beloved predecessor, but it has the potential to become a cozy, long-running favorite; Dundie-worthy, even.” Ross Bonaime wrote for Collider that the show is “a clever, sweet, and charming comedy with an excellent cast that will fill that hole that’s been missing since The Office and Parks and Rec ended.” Meanwhile, Mashable’s Belen Edwards said The Paper is “so much more than a carbon copy, and it has the potential to be a sitcom that’s great all on its own.”
Those rave reviews have resulted in an 85% critics’ score, which is notably higher than The Office’s overall consensus. However, a few seasons of The Office did achieve a higher critics’ score, with Seasons 2, 3, and 5 all earning a rare 100% rating. Since The Paper only just debuted, the audience reception remains to be seen, and a Popcornmeter score hasn’t been given.
Will the Paper Return for Season 2?
Fans who binge-watch the existing 10 episodes and get hooked on the first season won’t have to worry about the show’s fate. Just a day before its premiere, The Paper was renewed for Season 2. It’s expected that the series will return for its sophomore run around the same time next year.
Are you excited for The Paper? What are your thoughts after binge-watching the debut season? Let us know in the comments!
Most Viewed
-
image courtesy of 20th Century Studios -
Image courtesy of Prokino Filmverleih
