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‘Office’ spin-off ‘The Paper’ drops breaking news just one day before series premiere

‘The Office’ co-stars Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore dropped a major scoop on NBC's ‘Today’ while promoting the show

The “documentary crew” that brought us 'The Office' is back after over a decade, this time chronicling the Toledo Truth-Teller—a struggling Midwestern newspaper trying to resurrect itself by using staff members with no reporting experience as volunteer reporters, in the new spinoff, 'The Paper'. The presses are already rolling with all 10 episodes of the much-awaited sitcom entering circulation today, September 4. And a day before introducing the Toledo Truth-Teller’s struggles, the makers of ‘The Paper’ have some breaking news for fans.

Appearing on NBC's ‘Today’ to promote the sitcom, co-stars Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore dropped a major scoop, revealing that ‘The Office’ spin-off has secured a season 2 renewal from Peacock. The news should help ease any doubts that arose from Peacock's sudden change to the show's release schedule. Just two weeks before its premiere, the streamer pivoted away from the expected weekly release and instead decided to drop the full season at once. This shake-up prompted concern from some viewers who voiced their preference for the previous weekly model.

The early season 2 pickup also comes as a major vote of confidence from the network, creating positive buzz and encouraging viewers to get invested in a series they now know won't end after just one season. As per Variety, ‘The Paper’ co-creator Greg Daniels has already begun working on the next season. “We’ve been talking about stories for a possible Season 2, and it’ll be interesting to see what the audience thinks. We’ve gotten really good feedback from people inside the company and journalists and friends, but you never know what the broader world of ‘Office’ fans are going to think of it,” the publication quoted Daniels as saying.

Meanwhile, reviews for ‘The Paper’ are already in, and they are looking extremely promising. The series currently holds an impressive 85% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, and an average score of 69 out of 100 on Metacritic. However, leading publications have been divided in their critique of the show. While Rolling Stone labeled the show a "methadone version" of 'The Office', Forbes called it "a worthy successor to ‘The Office’ that’s surprisingly funny and charming." 

Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, ‘The Paper’ is the long-awaited follow-up to the hit mockumentary series, ‘The Office’. At the beginning of the spin-off, audiences learn that Dunder Mifflin was purchased by a Toledo-based company called Enervate, just before the pandemic. Upon hearing the news, the documentary crew heads to the Truth Teller Tower in Ohio. The newspaper, owned by the company Enervate, has only a handful of employees and remains profitable because its primary business is selling toilet tissue.

It is into this strange reality that the newly hired Toledo Truth-Teller editor-in-chief, Ned Sampson (Gleeson), steps in. A former top salesman for Enervate's "Softie" toilet tissue brand, Sampson is ready to use his corporate skills to revive the paper. Apart from Gleeson and Impacciatore leading the ensemble, the cast also includes Melvin Gregg, Chelsea Frei, Ramona Young, and Gbemisola Ikumelo. Among ‘The Office’ cast members, Oscar Nunez is the only one set to return, reprising his role as Oscar Martinez.