"Need to enter the fray": The Paper executive producers explain how they found the right moment to move forward with The Office spin-off

The Paper is a mockumentary sitcom that is a spin-off and a follow-up of the famous show, The Office. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, the show was released recently on Peacock on September 4, 2025, and is already creating a buzz because of the influence of its predecessor.

Featuring Domhnall Gleeson, Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Oscar Nunez, and others, The Paper focuses on the staff of a Midwestern newspaper called Toledo Truth-Teller, as they try to revive themselves and also participate in a documentary. Gleeson plays Ned Sampson, the new editor-in-chief of the newspaper and who wants to infuse change in his staff. However, other employees at the office maintain their quirky antics.

The Paper has ten episodes, which were released simultaneously for the viewers to binge-watch, and critics and viewers are already enjoying The Office spinoff. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, creators Greg Daniels, Michael Koman, and executive producer Ben Silverman reveal why they decided to enter right now with a follow-up.

Details about the origins of The Paper and why right now is the right moment

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, producer Silverman and creators Daniels and Koman state that even though there were rumors about a spinoff since The Office last aired in 2013, they finally decided to focus after they saw a bunch of shows imitating the mockumentary format they created.

“It prompted Greg and I to just really focus hard…we need to enter the fray as well,” Silverman states.

Daniels states that there was a lot of pressure to do a spinoff of The Office, and he was hesitant to go forward, as he would not be able to get most of the cast back, and he didn’t want to do something where the characters are the same and have just been recast. Instead, Daniels wanted to do a follow-up where the same documentary crew that made The Office also made another documentary, and that would be the connecting link, while also presenting a new show.

Therefore, in The Paper, the same documentary crew that covered the antics of Michael Scott and others arrives in Toledo and finds that Oscar Martinez (played by Oscar Nuñez) is now working there. Daniels mentions that “Oscar is so funny”. Therefore, the creator wanted his character to be back and serve as the connecting link, as the character did not have “closure” at the end of The Office.

Silverman also states that initially, there were conversations about whether the new series also had to be set in a workplace.

“We debated it — do we do something that’s set in a home life, do we do something [different] since we’ve been in the workplace?”

Ultimately, they decided that a newspaper company would be perfect.

Daniels and Koman also made sure that the characters from The Paper were not similar to those from The Office. Though they did include some workplace romances like its predecessor.

“Our attempt was for any kind of overlap to be something that is closer just to human nature,” Koman states.

Daniels maintains that the most important thing to him is that they are “brand new characters.” Finally, he states,

“It starts at a pretty beaten-down place, but it’s got a direction, and then maybe they’ll get more hope out of it.”

Ultimately, Koman adds that between the two seasons of the show, he hopes that people continue to care about the series, and he and his team hope to deliver more.

What the cast of The Paper has to say about the show. Details explored.

In an interview with Hey U Guys, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Nunez, and Sabrina Impacciatore talk about why The Paper is unique and what their roles offer. Gleeson remarks that he has always “loved sitcoms” and wanted to work with Greg. Further, he remarks that he was informed that his character would be different than Michael Scott, and that made him even more interested. On the other hand, Nunez feels very “lucky” that he is a part of the show, and Impacciatore affirms that the show is a “slow burn” and viewers will eventually enjoy it more as it keeps progressing.

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The Paper is available on Peacock.

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