The Paper Review

There’s a (mostly) universal truth in the realm of TV criticism: If a new series is set for a certain release schedule and then, seemingly unprompted, the network changes it to a schedule where the entire series drops all at once (combined with a review embargo that drops within 24 hours of the show’s release), it’s probably got some serious problem. So, when word broke that Peacock was changing the release of their new sitcom The Paper from a weekly release schedule to an all-in-one drop less than two weeks before its premiere, well, us critics took notice. And got worried. After all, this is a series that comes from with serious pedigree. Co-created by Greg Daniels as an official spin-off to the incredibly successful US version of The Office, it seemed destined for television greatness – or at least some trust in its story from its streaming home. But, alas, I’m here to report that while The Paper isn’t necessarily a terrible show, it’s certainly not a good one.

It’s hard to create a great first season of a new comedy series. The US Office needed time to retool it’s focus before it hit gold. Parks and Recreation famously struggled in season one before figuring out that Leslie Knope’s joyous spirit was the show’s draw, not a reason to mock her. So, I do want to give The Paper some grace in that vein. And perhaps if the show gets a second season, it will figure out how to balance the wide range of characters and their often jarring personalities in a way that compliments and doesn’t shatter the story being told here. But boy, The Paper has a lot of problems.

So, what is The Paper? Well, it uses the same mockumentary format as The Office and Parks and Rec to follow around the various employees* of the Toledo Truth Teller newspaper, a local paper that – after the company that owns it decides it’s not profitable enough to continue paying for a complete staff – narrows it focus to telling only local news. Which makes one think there could be some fun “local color” stories that turn into memorable recurring characters a la Parks or battles with management that have fun results a la The Office. Instead, the series tries to combine the two, while also turning its central cast of characters into cartoons (with one notable exception) who seem largely incapable of writing complete sentences and not getting sued, much less becoming journalists that anyone would trust to report a story. And while incompetence is a quick way to generate laughs, when your characters aren’t believable in their profession and that profession is the central purpose of the series, you start to get taken out of the story.

*I suspect a number of reviews will touch on the choice to have a bunch of unqualified “reporters” working for essentially free at a newspaper owned by a rich, out of touch guy who seems to want to let the paper be while also making moves that turn it into a complete joke. And it’s a pretty tone-deaf move in light of the current state of journalism today. Sure the folks at Dunder Mifflin weren’t great at selling paper, but it’s a weird vibe to center a show on people who don’t know how to be journalists, don’t really seem to want to learn how to be, and who the show thinks are more fun when they’re failing at delivering accurate, ethical news stories. We should want to root for these characters and really, I found myself wanting the paper to go under because boy, some of these characters are true liabilities.

And who are these cartoon characters who get to be “journalists”? Well, the editor-in-chief is Ned Sampson (Domhnall Gleeson), a former top salesman for the toilet paper company that owns the paper who gets his position because he was so good at sales, the CEO let him pick his next position and he always dreamed of becoming a journalist (but didn’t because he was told there was no money in it). Ned is an interesting character, an attempt to blend Leslie Knope’s idealism with Michael Scott’s idiocy. We’re meant to root for him, while also recognizing that he’s way out of his depth – yet the series is more than willing to hand wave either his lack of knowledge or his deep desire for becoming a noble writer away as it befits the episodes’ plot. Which turns him into a mix of contradictions – at times, really mean and at times, a dopey puppy. Gleeson tries his best – and when the character is allowed to revert to his sales bro past late in the season for an episode, it’s actually really fun and funny to watch. But he can’t save a character who lacks sufficient grounding in any sense of reality. Similarly, Sabrina Impacciatore’s (from White Lotus season two) Esmeralda Grand – the paper’s former EiC who is knocked down to running only the online version after Ned’s arrival – is setup to be the main clown of the series. The character is so often over the top in every conceivable way it’s impossible to take her seriously. It’s telling that by the end of the season, the bulk of her storylines do not involve writing anything for the paper and tend to fall into the C or D level plots of each episode. Impacciatore can do much more than what she’s asked to do here – often make sex jokes, act utterly incapable of doing even the smallest task, and sabotaging other characters in various ways – and Esmeralda quickly becomes the show’s Achilles heel.

Oscar Nunez is back, reprising his role from The Office (as Oscar Martinez), but he’s woefully underused. Tim Key takes on the role of Ken Davies, the English vice president of the company that owns the paper. Clearly channeling Ricky Gervais, Key really doesn’t fit well into the newsroom. In fact, for a series about the inner workings of a paper trying to get back off the ground, there are a heck of a lot of stories that aren’t about working for a newspaper throughout this first season – most of which involve Ken and Esmeralda. And that’s pretty telling in and of itself. If you can’t mine consistent comedy from your basic framework, especially something that has a host of story ideas baked into it, that’s a problem with your execution.

If the series has one bright spot, it would be Chelsea Frei as Mare Pritti, the only character on the show with any journalistic background (okay, there is the requisite old guy in the newsroom who might be verging on senility character) and the only character who seems to have a truly consistent characterization throughout the season. Clearly meant to be our Jim Halpert, Mare is smart, sharp, generally competent, and sarcastic. She recognizes that this motley crew is in way over their heads and lacks any real understanding of their jobs or what it means to be a journalist. But, while still always being able to zing or give an exasperated look to the camera, Mare is also willing to help those around her. She’s a hell of a character and Frei does a great job with her. If the show focused on Mare working with the other characters – even Esmeralda, a pairing that does happen midway through the season and marks the one episode where Impacciatore really gets to show what her character could be if the writers let her actually be more than a total joke – and trying to get them to become real writers instead of opting for screwball comedy beats, inconsistent characterization, and a strangely intense focus on trying to pair characters off romantically this early in the story, The Paper would have some legs.

But instead, the season feels like the writers are trying to throw a little bit of everything at the wall to see what sticks. Which pairings work for the best comedy bang for your buck (without spoiling anything, the ones the writers keep going back to again and again are not, in fact, the ones that work particularly well), which crazy positions watche characters struggle to get out of, and how to bring in the recurring characters into the story without taking the time to really lay the groundwork for who they are and how they all fit together.

Like I said at the top of the review, the first season of a comedy is hard to get just right. And only having ten episodes doesn’t do the writers any favors when it comes to trying to figure out the right pieces for this particular story. But when you have a premise that seems almost inconvenient to the writing staff at points – the paper shares office space with the toilet paper sales team, something that is often ignored completely but also suddenly becomes a key plot point when the news side of the story seems less enticing to the writers – it’s hard to muster up much excitement from the audience. Couple that with characters that seem far too incompetent to be writers at a paper – and a number that also seem downright mean throughout the season – and you’re in trouble. I wanted to like this one, but I cannot recommend The Paper. And, judging from the new release schedule, it looks like Peacock might agree with me.

The Paper premieres on September 4 on Peacock. All ten episodes of the first season were provided for review.