Trailer of ‘The Office’ spin-off ‘The Paper’ unveils its new setting: a struggling local newspaper

Peacock on Thursday (August 7) unveiled the trailer of The Paper, the much-awaited spin-off of the globally-acclaimed comedy series The Office. Created by The Office showrunner Greg Daniels, along with Michael Koman, the first four episodes of the ten-episode mockumentary will premiere on Peacock on September 4, with two new episodes releasing every Thursday.

Set within the universe of the iconic Dunder Mifflin paper company, the setting of NBC’s Emmy-winning show, The Paper follows the documentary crew, formerly focused on the antics of Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch, as they pivot to capturing the struggles and triumphs of a historic newspaper, The Toledo Truth Teller.

“Enervate sells products made out of paper: toilet tissues, toilet seat protectors, and local newspapers (Toledo Truth Teller). And that is in order of quality,” says the cocky head of a paper manufacturing company, briefing on the state of the local newspaper. We are then introduced to the many colourful employees of the Toledo Truth Teller office, who are surprised by the entrance of a new editor-in-chief who promises to shake things up and revive the daily.

But as Ted Sampson (Domhnall Gleeson) soon learns, it isn’t going to be easy. With no money to hire reporters, he recruits volunteers from the non-editorial staff of the newspaper to write stories. In a welcome surprise, we also see Oscar Nuñez reprising his role as Oscar Martinez from The Office, though details about how he fits into the story of the Toledo Truth Teller are kept under wraps.

Fascinatingly, much of the crew that worked on The Office is set to return to the sets of The Paper. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the director lineup includes several The Office alumni, including Ken Kwapis, Paul Lieberstein, Jennifer Celotta, Matt Sohn, Dave Rogers and Jeffrey Blitz. Yana Gorskaya, Tazbah Chavez and Jason Woliner are also helming some of the episodes.

The cast of the new series also features Sabrina Impacciatore, Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young and Tim Key. Duane Shepard Sr., Allan Havey, Nate Jackson, Mo Welch, Nancy Lenehan, Molly Ephraim and Tracy Letts appear in guest roles. Interestingly, Ikumelo, Edelman, Rahill and Welch are also part of the writers team of the series.

The Paper is produced by Universal Television. Daniels and Koman also executive produce. Ricky Gervais, who created the original British version of The Office, executive produces alng with Stephen Merchant, Howard Klein, Ben Silverman and Banijay Americas.

The new trailer has certainly added to the hype surrounding The Paper. The Office, which premiered in 2005 and ran for nine successful seasons, remains a cultural touchstone, thanks to its memorable ensemble cast led by Steve Carell.