The Office’s documentary crew just found its new subject: a dying newspaper.
Peacock has just dropped the first trailer for The Paper, its highly anticipated mockumentary spinoff of The Office.
Set in Toledo, Ohio, the series revolves around the declining newspaper, The Truth Teller, whose new Editor-in-Chief Ned Samson (Domhnall Gleeson) is desperately trying to save it. However, with a staff entirely composed of volunteer interns, things aren’t going to be as smooth sailing as Ned initially thought.
“So, how many of you have actually written for a paper before?” Ned asks the interns during an all-hands meeting.
Everyone goes silent.
“I wrote a paper in junior high once,” one intern finally offered.
Ned pauses, before responding, “Not quite the same thing.”
Greg Daniels, the mastermind behind the U.S. adaptation of The Office, is the co-creator and executive producer of the series along with Michael Koman, who is known for his work on Nathan for You. Daniels is also the director for the show.
The series’ ensemble cast includes Sabrina Impacciatore, Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young, and Tim Key. Fans of The Office will also recognize Oscar Nuñez, reprising his role as accountant Oscar Martinez. Oscar is now crunching numbers for The Truth Teller.
In an interview with USA Today, Daniels described how Gleeson’s character, Ned Samson, is the emotional heart of the series.
“The show is about journalism in the modern age,” he explained. “They’re following a very idealistic person who is really trying to swim against the tide. [Ned] really thinks journalism is important, (but) things are tough.”
As for who exactly is making things tough for journalism, well, that would be big tech.
“I think a lot of the stuff I’m working on has the same villain,” Daniels said, before adding: “It’s the tech companies that are messing up journalism.”
The Paper will have a four-episode premiere on Peacock on Sep. 4. Following the initial release, two episodes will premiere every Thursday through Sep. 25.
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