I have never seen “The Office,” so I didn’t really care when my roommates started freaking out over a new spin off to the show called “The Paper.”
But when we, all survivors of the student media experience, sat down to watch the first episode, we ended with our jaws on the ground and one question floating around — “Did they put a freaking camera into our media suite?”
Truthfully, not only the plot points, but even the dynamics between the characters were so familiar to us. It was as if someone had been listening to the conversations happening in our media room and turned them into a TV show. And honestly, we were mad we didn’t think of that first.
“The Paper” is a 10-episode Peacock mockumentary series released last September. The plot is as simple as that the same “documentary” crew that followed people around at Dunder Mifflin is now following around the newsroom of a dying newspaper in Toledo, Ohio — the Toledo Truth Teller — and the volunteers trying to keep this rapidly sinking ship above surface by using their palms as buckets.
It’s arguably an interesting story, with the newly hired Editor-in-Chief Ned Sampson (Domhnall Gleeson) desperately trying to get his “staff” to restore the Truth Teller to its former glory by hunting for stories and dealing with, you know, the same things that the people who try to put together The Chronicle every week deal with as well.
The writers and producers of this show clearly did their homework on this one. As someone who worked in a small newsroom and shared that space with a different company before, the show captured the little nuances pretty well.
The Toledo Truth Teller only has a few reporters that actually work for the paper: Ned, Mare Pritti (Chelsea Frei), Managing Editor Esmeralda Grand (Sabrina Impacciatore) and Barry (Duane Shephard Sr.). The rest of the staff is made up from the accountants of the other company Softees, and the appearance of Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez) from the original series.
In a very comedic way, he has a hatred towards the documentary people, yelling that he does not consent to being filmed. However, his contract from the original show didn’t state an end date, so tough luck for him.
The other workers posing as reporters on Ned’s staff are Adam Cooper (Alex Edelman), Adelola Olofin (Gbemisola Ikumelo) and Detrick Moore (Melvin Gregg), but in all honesty, none of these characters really stood out for me. In fact, I somehow zoned out when they were on screen, as their stories were just boring.
Each character is quirky in their own way. The obvious comedic relief is Esmeralda, with her thick “Italian” accent and her naive mind. She is in charge of TTT Online, their website full of clickbait, and is actively trying to see Ned fail.
In a sense, she is supposed to be a villain, especially from the start, Ned is painted as this hero of the paper, even after it is revealed he’s a little bit of a nepo baby in the company. He only got the position of editor-in-chief through his father’s connections.
Ned’s story is one that many journalism students might see themselves in. After graduation, he couldn’t find any jobs in his field and spent years in sales instead, to support himself and earn a living. That’s why, when the opportunity presents itself, he jumps at it with open arms.
Incredibly realistic plot, maybe too realistic because I don’t really want to be reminded of the slow death of the industry I am actively trying to get my degree in.
As someone who has never seen “The Office,” I didn’t see any sort of comparisons that my roommates watching with me picked up, but on the other hand, I enjoyed the show for what it was.
The plot points and even the twists are very simple, but nothing more was needed, in my opinion. It’s a nice show to have in the background, when it’s not reminding you of the fact that you are working in a dying industry.
I am excited for the second season, as the show has officially been renewed. I want to see where the Toledo Truth Teller goes after the staff won three awards at the Ohio Journalism Awards for the first time since the 1970s and what changes that brings to the character dynamics.
But you best believe that if I see any more familiar things in season two, I am looking for that camera in SC 125.
