It’s been 20 years since the U.S. version of “The Office” debuted on NBC, where it ran for nine acclaimed seasons and endured as a pop culture juggernaut well after its finale. It lives on in countless memes and catchphrases, and the network says it remains one of its most streamed shows.
So it should surprise no one that the sitcom, as delightfully cringy as it is lovable, is finally getting a spinoff: “The Paper.” Here’s what we know so far about the new show.
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NBCUniversal revealed at its May upfront presentation that “The Paper” would debut on its streaming platform Peacock in September.
The sitcom is being created by Greg Daniels and Michael Koman. Daniels was behind the American adaptation of “The Office” and Koman created Comedy Central’s “Nathan For You” alongside its star, Nathan Fielder, a king of deadpan comedy.
Daniels and Koman are executive producers of “The Paper,” as are Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the duo behind the original British version of “The Office” (which ran from 2001 to 2003).
Fans first caught wind of the potential spinoff in May 2024, when it was announced that Peacock had an untitled comedy mockumentary series in the works. Production of “The Paper” began last summer.
What’s the Same and What’s Different?
Like “The Office,” “The Paper” is a mockumentary sitcom about an industry in trouble: this time the newspaper business, as opposed to the paper business of the original.
It is also set in the same universe as the original. The same fictional documentary crew that followed the employees of Dunder Mifflin in Scranton, Penn. is now following those who work at The Truth Teller, a fictional newspaper in Toledo, Ohio, whose publisher is trying to revive it with the help of volunteer reporters.
Oscar Nuñez is returning as Oscar Martinez, who will now work in accounting at The Truth Teller.
“I told Mr. Greg Daniels that if Oscar came back, he would probably be living in a more bustling, cosmopolitan city,” Nuñez said at the presentation last week. “Greg heard me, and he moved Oscar to Toledo, Ohio, which has three times the population of Scranton. So, it was nice to be heard.”
So far Nuñez is the only “Office” alum who is confirmed for the new series, but John Krasinski (who played Jim Halpert) told ET he would make a cameo if Daniels asked him. “I will do anything for that guy,” Krasinski said. “He calls, I’ll show up.”
In April, Jenna Fischer (Pam Beesly) and Angela Kinsey (Angela Martin) told the Today show that they had swung by the set of “The Paper” and run into Nuñez and much of “The Office” crew, whom Kinsey called “our extended family.”
The new series will be led by the actors Domhnall Gleeson, most famous for his role in Alex Garland’s 2015 sci-fi film “Ex Machina,” and Sabrina Impacciatore, most famous for her role as the no-nonsense hotel manager during Season 2 of HBO’s “The White Lotus.”
Impacciatore will play the managing editor of The Truth Teller, and Gleeson will play a new employee.
On “The Tonight Show” in June 2024, Steve Carell, a star of “The Office,” said that Gleeson had reached out to ask if he should accept the role in “The Paper.” (Carell and Gleeson acted opposite one another in FX’s 2022 limited series thriller “The Patient.”) “I said, ‘Of course,’” Carell recalled.
“The Paper” will also star Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young and Tim Key.
What Has ‘The Office’ Crew Been Up to Anyway?
“The Office” had an expansive regular cast, many of whom have stayed busy since the show’s end in 2013. Here’s some of what some of the show’s biggest stars have done since.
Steve Carell
Carell exited “The Office” during Season 7 having earned six lead actor Emmy nominations for playing Michael Scott.
Carell has since expanded his repertoire. In 2014, he played against type for his role in the sports thriller “Foxcatcher,” which earned him a best actor Oscar nomination. He has also voiced Gru across the “Despicable Me” film franchise, starred in Wes Anderson’s 2023 sci-fi comedy film “Asteroid City” and last year performed on Broadway in “Uncle Vanya.”
This year, he can be seen in the Netflix comedy-drama mini-series “The Four Seasons,” and later this month, he’ll appear alongside Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith and Ramy Youssef in the Jesse Armstrong satire “Mountainhead” on HBO.
Rainn Wilson
Of all “The Office” stars, Wilson might have had the hardest time shaking his character Dwight Schrute, the yin to Michael Scott’s yang. The role earned Wilson three Emmy nominations. Nonetheless, he has worked consistently since the show’s end across genres — including roles on the CBS sitcom “Mom,” the 2018 box office hit “The Meg” and in the musical “Urinetown” at New York City Center.
His most personal project might be the 2023 five-episode docuseries on Peacock, “Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss,” which took him around the world to explore the meaning of happiness.
John Krasinski
Few fans probably predicted that Krasinski — who played the quintessential good guy Jim Halpert — would pivot to sci-fi horror with staggering success.
His 2018 film “A Quiet Place,” which he wrote, directed and starred in opposite his wife, Emily Blunt, was both a critical darling and a box office blockbuster. He followed it up in 2021 with the box office success “A Quiet Place Part II,” which Krasinski wrote and directed, and 2024’s “A Quiet Place: Day One,” which he helped write and produce. Also from 2018 to 2023, he played Jack Ryan, the titular character in the Amazon Prime action-thriller series from the novelist Tom Clancy.
Jenna Fischer
Jenna Fischer, whose role as Pam Beesly earned her an Emmy nomination, has also worked steadily since “The Office” ended — including the British comedy-drama “You, Me and the Apocalypse,” the ABC sitcom “Splitting Up Together” and in last year’s remake of “Mean Girls” — though it’s her “Office”-adjacent podcast that has given her the most success.
“Office Ladies,” which she hosts alongside Angela Kinsey, her real-life best friend who played the tightly wound accountant Angela Martin, has been a hit since its debut in 2019. In each installment, the pair rewatch and break down an episode of “The Office,” as well as offering behind-the-scene stories. In 2022, they published the book “The Office BFFs,” which shot to No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list.
Mindy Kaling
Of all “The Office” alums, Kaling — an Emmy-nominated show writer who also starred as the chatty, self-centered customer service representative Kelly Kapoor — has had the most small-screen success.
As “The Office” ended, she immediately moved on to her sitcom “The Mindy Project,” which she created, produced and starred in for six seasons, first on Fox then on Hulu. In 2020, the critically acclaimed comedy “Never Have I Ever,” which Kaling cocreated and based loosely on her childhood, began its four-season run on Netflix. From 2021 to 2025, Kaling’s comedy “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” which she cocreated and served on as a showrunner, ran on HBO. Her newest show, “Running Point,” starring Kate Hudson, debuted in January on Netflix, and has already been renewed for a second season.
Maya Salam is an editor and reporter, focusing primarily on pop culture across genres.
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