It’s often not until a show’s second season, particularly with comedies, that it begins to truly find its footing and evolve beyond its premise. In the case of The Paper, a spinoff of the long-running and very popular The Office, it had its own hurdles to overcome because it wasn’t the same show as the original and wasn’t trying to be, but did feature a few references and cameos that gave fans hope that perhaps this really would just be a continuation of what they used to love so much. Fortunately, season two largely abandons those efforts and instead invests in its characters as their own people, who turn out to be quite fun and worthwhile to watch.
For a group who’s never had all that much luck, it’s nice to see the employees at the Toledo Truth Teller riding high, at least briefly, as they celebrate their victories at the Ohio Journalism Awards. That excitement is short-lived as reality sets back in, and an obituary marking the death of a workplace colleague overshadows the planned front-page article touting their success. Various office relationships ebb and flow, including Ned (Domhnall Gleeson) and Mare (Chelsea Frei), who keep their romance top-secret, and it remains an uphill battle for print journalism to be relevant and hard-hitting, with Ned fully determined to keep the business afloat for as long as he possibly can.
Ned’s clueless positivity remains a driving force for each of this show’s episodes, the perfect counterpoint to Michael Scott’s nonexistent management style which only allowed work to be completed in the rare moments that he wasn’t distracting everyone with shenanigans. Ned obsessively champions moments that aren’t worthy of any fanfare, making it seem like everyone is working much harder and accomplishing much more than they actually are. But that’s what makes the rare instances in which others do take pride in what they do all the more rewarding, suggesting that, in spite of Ned’s misplaced overenthusiasm, they are indeed – occasionally – making a difference.
Season two offers fantastic teases of supporting character pairings, all of which suggest that the ensemble players deserve more screentime. Adelola (Gbemisola Ikumelo) and Travis (Eric Rahill) being sent out to monitor a tornado is excellent fodder for unexpected interaction, and Nicole (Ramona Young) passive-aggressively searching for a new office best friend when she feels Mare pulling away shows a new and amusingly petty side of her. There’s still much more to showcase when it comes to Adam (Alex Edelman), who isn’t given much to do given the comic talents of the actor portraying him, and Ken (Tim Key) also has a more reduced role this season that almost never puts him center stage. It’s understandable, but given the talent available here, less time on the admittedly excellent duo of Gleeson and Frei wouldn’t be a bad thing since others are just waiting in the wings to perform as impressively.
This show’s irreverence is typically an asset, though some of its storylines are undeniably bizarre. Esmeralda (Sabrina Impacciatore) always seems to be on her own planet, but season two saves her best and most hilarious storyline for its finale, and she commits fully to it, as does Duane R. Shepard, Sr. as the eternally confused Barry, who’s living in an entirely different decade from everyone else. Lisa Gilroy is a fabulous addition as an HR representative who knows absolutely no boundaries and thrives on hearing and repeating the very gossip she’s supposed to keep secret from her colleagues. What constitutes a story also frequently comes under discussion, highlighting the absurdity of our modern world and what people see as news while ignoring the real happenings out there that should be written about and broadcast.
Though season two was commissioned before season one even debuted on Peacock, it’s clear that the show has grown and deserves the chance to continue doing so. Pivoting away from reminding audiences that this show is supposed to be connected to The Office is the best move it could possibly have made, and there’s so much content just waiting to be mined. Gleeson reliably leads an entertaining cast with no weak links, and Frei continues to be its most dependable player, especially as Mare navigates rough waters in this season. The Paper is good fun and takes itself more seriously than perhaps might be expected, which only leads to good things as it comes into its own as a solid standalone series.
Season Rating: 8/10
