'The Office' producer explains why 'The Paper' isn't exactly a spinoff
What are you supposed to call "The Paper," the new Peacock sitcom somehow related to "The Office" and its executive producer, Greg Daniels? Is it a sequel? A spinoff? A reboot?
"It's not a reboot, for sure," Daniels says in a recent interview with Paste BN. "I've been referring to it as a new documentary from the same crew."
Daniels is referencing the mockumentary format of "The Office," an American version of the British comedy created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, that aired on NBC from 2005 to 2013. It starred Steve Carell as Michael Scott, an American version of Gervais' bumbling and pompous regional manager.
The employees of Dunder Mifflin Paper Co.'s Scranton, Pennsylvania, office were filmed for nine seasons by a fictional documentary crew, a plot point that became extremely important in the series' final season. That mostly unseen documentary crew (now an element on many TV comedies) is the only returning element, other than former Dunder Mifflin accountant Oscar Martinez (played with a dry wit by Oscar Nuñez).
"I mean Oscar is in both of them. So technically it's a spinoff," Daniels adds. "But you know, it isn't like the story of Oscar in a new land."
In "The Paper," the documentary crew moves from Pennsylvania to Toledo, Ohio, to capture a small-town newspaper trying to make a big revival in a world where journalism is dying. It premieres on Peacock with four episodes on Sept. 4, followed by two new episodes every Thursday through Sept. 25.
The show is "about journalism in in the modern age," says Daniels. "They're following a very idealistic person who is really trying to swim against the tide."
Daniels is referring to Domhnall Gleeson's character, Ned Sampson, in the series. He's an eager new publisher for The Truth Teller. "He really thinks journalism is important, (but) things are tough." The cast will also include Sabrina Impacciatore, a standout in Season 2 of HBO's "The White Lotus."
Daniels is working on more than one show at once, promoting the fourth and final season of his Amazon Prime Video sci-fi comedy "Upload" (streaming Aug. 25), which has more in common with "The Paper" than you might think.
"I think a lot of the stuff I'm working on has the same villain," he says. "It's the tech companies that are messing up journalism."
Daniels hasn't been afraid to be overtly anti-corporate in "Upload," so it's fair to guess "The Paper" might have an obvious anti-big-tech message.
"It helps to talk about it," he admits.
Peacock revealed further details about "The Paper" in May at a presentation to advertisers in New York. Gleeson, Nuñez and Impacciatore were onstage at the event, where they debuted a clip of the series, which Gleeson described as being about “underdog characters that are banding together to keep journalism alive.”
Contributing: Gary Levin