It’s been 12 years since fans watched the finale of The Office on their television screens. Since then, they’ve held out hope that the beloved series — which starred Steve Carell as Michael Scott, John Krasinski as Jim Halpert, and Jenna Fischer as Pam Beasley — would return in some form.
On Monday, May 12, NBC announced The Paper, a spinoff of The Office, set to premiere this September. Presented in the same mockumentary style as the original series, the show will follow the daily lives of employees at a newspaper company called The Truth Teller.
It’s definitely an exciting announcement for The Office fans who have been waiting years for some sort of spinoff. Besides the news that the show will air in the coming months, we’ve also learned that a former The Office cast member will return.
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What Is The Office Spinoff, The Paper About?
The Paper Is A Mockumentary Series Much Like The Office
On May 12th, NBC announced that The Office spinoff, The Paper, will soon be heading to our television screens. The Office aired on NBC from 2005-2013, and ran for nine seasons, following employees at a dying paper company.
Even when the series concluded, fans continued to stream it on Netflix before it was made exclusively available on Peacock. In 2020, The Office was the most streamed TV show with over 57 billion minutes of viewership. Still, today, people continue to rewatch their favorite episodes, so it’s really no surprise that fans finally received a spinoff.
According to a 2020 report by Screen Rant, the most watched episodes of The Office are:
- “Stress Relief” – Season 5 (22.9 million)
- “Pilot” – Season 1 (11.20 million)
- “Traveling Salesman – Season 3 (10.10 million)
- “Ben Franklin” – Season 3 (10.10 million)
- “Chair Model” – Season 4 (9.81 million)
- “Christmas Party” – Season 2 (9.70 million)
- “Fun Run” – Season 4 (9.67 million)
- “Employee Transfer” – Season 5 (9.32 million)
- “Secret Santa” – Season 6 (9.24 million”
- “Dinner Party” – Season 4 (9.22 million)
The Paper was created by Greg Daniels (writer for The Office) and Michael Koman, who is also a talented screenwriter, and just so happens to be married to actress Ellie Kemper, who starred as Erin Hannon in the beloved original series.
According to the official description of The Paper, it will be set in the same universe as The Office with the crew that documented the lives of Michael, Jim, Dwight, Pam, Angela, and Oscar, working at the Scranton, Pennsylvania Dunder Mifflin branch, “is in search of a new subject when they discover a historic Toledo newspaper, The Truth Teller, and the eager publisher that is trying to revive it.” The show will be set in Toledo, Ohio, which is a much busier city than Scranton.
While not much other information has been given about the new show, fans can expect a boss who may or may not be like Steve Carell’s Michael Scott, several newspaper employees with distinctive characteristics and personalities, and a few blossoming romances.
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Star Wars Actor Domhnall Gleeson And The White Lotus’ Sabrina Impacciatore Will Star In The New Series
The big announcement was accompanied by a photo from The Paper, featuring most of the stars set to appear in the upcoming series. Standing on top of a desk in the center is actor Domhnall Gleeson, who is best known for starring in Star Wars and 2015’s Ex Machina. He will be starring as Ned and is most likely a main character.
Fans also noticed The White Lotus Season 2 actress Sabrina Impacciatore sitting on top of a desk, and Gbemisola Ikumelo, best known for A League of Their Own, starring up at Domhnall’s character. In addition, other stars that will appear on the series include Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young, and Tim Key.
Fans have also learned that The Office’s Oscar Nuñez, who starred as accountant Oscar Martinez for all nine seasons, will reprise his role.
On May 12th, Domhnall, Sabrina, and Oscar appeared at NBC’s Upfront event (via People), where they discussed the new series, without giving too much away. “We are three members of a wonderful ensemble cast of underdog characters that are banding together to keep journalism alive,” Domhnall shared on stage.
“My character has the unwavering optimistic belief that he can turn The Truth Teller to the glory of its heyday,” he added.
Oscar also shared why he decided to return. “I told Mr. Greg Daniels that if Oscar came back, he would probably be living in a more bustling, cosmopolitan city. Greg heard me and he moved Oscar to Toledo, Ohio — which has three times the population of Scranton. So it was nice to be heard.”
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Are Any Other Stars From The Office Making An Appearance?
Fans Would Love To See John Krasinski And Jenna Fisher Reprise Their Roles As Jim And Pam
According to a report by Life & Style, both Jenna Fisher (Pam Beasley) and Angela Kinsey (Angela Martin) revealed that they had visited the set of The Paper while speaking on their Office Ladies podcast. While it’s not confirmed whether the two will appear in the spinoff, there’s always a possibility. After all, they’ve continued to celebrate their beloved series for years and guest appearances wouldn’t be a surprise.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in May 2024, Steve Carell confirmed that he would not be starring in the spinoff which broke the hearts of fans.
“I will be watching but I will not be showing up. It’s just a new thing and there’s really no reason for my character [Michael Scott] to show up in something like that.”
He added, “But I’m excited about it, it sounds like a great concept. I love the idea — I guess it’s set in a failing newspaper company.”
It makes sense that Steve Carell’s character, Michael Scott, won’t be starring in the spinoff. He left the original series at the end of Season 7 to relocate to Colorado and be with Holly Flax, played by Amy Ryan. Michael did return briefly in the series finale to attend Dwight Schrute’s wedding to Angela Martin.
Additionally, John Krasinski shared with People that while he was not asked about joining the spinoff in any capacity, he wouldn’t be opposed to it. “I’d do anything Greg Daniels asked me to do,” he said.
The Paper doesn’t have an official premiere date yet, but fans can expect the new series to debut on Peacock sometime in September. In the meantime, they can continue to watch The Office on the same streaming service.