The Paper star Melvin Gregg reacts to the show’s comparison with The Office: ‘They both can coexist’

After much anticipation, The Paper has premiered on Peacock. The show has so far received positive reviews and is being appreciated for its humor and the cast’s performances. However, being a spin-off of a cult classic sitcom like The Office, the show is also facing comparisons with its predecessor.

Melvin Gregg, who stars in the series as Detrick Moore, has now reacted to these comparisons. In an interview with Variety, the actor said that though the two shows are set in the same universe, they have their own identity, and just because the spin-off has arrived on Peacock, that does not mean that audiences need to stop watching or loving The Office, as both shows can certainly co-exist. He said:

“It’s human nature to compare one thing to another, but they both can coexist. You can still love The Office. It’s not like they’re going to take The Office off the streaming platforms and replace it with The Paper. You can continue to love The Office and, now, The Paper. Although they come from the same creator, it’s different shows.”

Melvin Gregg talks about the comparisons between The Paper and The Office

During the interview, Melvin Gregg also highlighted how The Paper is different from The Office. He said that the spin-off has a completely different set of characters and stories, and only shares a similar tone and mockumentary format with the original, apart from, of course, Oscar Nunez, who reprises his role as Oscar Martinez from The Office. Gregg said:

“Aside from sharing DNA with Dunder Mifflin, it has completely different characters, workspace and new tasks. It’s not the same at all. It just shares a similar tone, format and Oscar.”

The Office, which aired on NBC between 2005 and 2013, revolved around the dysfunctional manager and staff of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. The show became one of the most popular sitcoms of its time and is now a part of pop culture.

The series starred Steve Carell as Michael Scott, John Krasinski as Jim Halpert, Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly, and Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute, among others.

The Paper, on the other hand, revolves around the crew of the Toledo Truth-Teller, a newspaper with dwindling readership that is trying to stay afloat with the help of volunteer reporters.

Apart from Melvin Gregg and Oscar Nunez, the show stars Domhnall Gleeson as Ned Sampson, Sabrina Impacciatore as Esmeralda Grand, Chelsea Frei as Mare Pritti, Ramona Young as Nicole Lee, Gbemisola Ikumelo as Adelola Olofin, Tim Key as Ken Davies, and Alex Edelman as Adam Cooper.

While the filming of the spin-off was going on, Steve Carell and John Krasinski visited the set to wish the cast and crew good luck. Talking about meeting the original cast members, Gregg said in his interview:

Trending

“I went into the makeup trailer while they were there and hung out– not trying to be in the way. I’m laughing at the jokes, but trying not to be the weird guy who hops in. They didn’t make me feel that way. That was all me. They were there spreading love and being a model of what could potentially be.”

All episodes of The Paper Season 1 are streaming on Peacock.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback