The Paper Cast and Creators on Why You Should Subscribe to the New Series
Get to know the eccentric cast of characters of the new comedy.
The newsroom is now open.
Created by Greg Daniels (The Office) and Michael Koman (Nathan for You), the new Peacock comedy The Paper follows the reporters of a historic Midwestern newspaper, The Toledo Truth Teller, and the optimistic editor-in-chief Ned Sampson (Domhnall Gleeson) brought in to try and revive it. The documentary crew that captured the office antics of mid-size Scranton paper company Dunder Mifflin are back behind the camera to film their newest subjects.
With all 10 episodes of Season 1 now streaming on Peacock, here’s what Daniels, Koman, and the stars of The Paper had to say about bringing the new series to life and maintaining “the same comedy feel as The Office.”
Why The Paper Is Set in Local Journalism
The staff of The Toledo Truth Teller, the failing local newspaper Ned is tasked to bring back to its former glory, is made up of an eclectic group of personalities from various backgrounds – many of whom don’t have traditional reporting experience. So, Ned, a star salesman, is immediately faced with big hurdles to overcome.
“He thinks that he can revive the paper with a concentration on local, objective content, [and] original content,” Daniels told the Peacock Blog. A lack of resources and money forces Ned to recruit employees from other areas of the paper’s parent company Enervate, which also owns a toilet paper brand called Softees. “He takes the ad salespeople and the accountants and the people who drive the trucks and turns them into reporters.”
“It's inspired amateurs trying to be reporters and making all the newbie mistakes that cub reporters make,” he added.
The potential for comedy and tension was one of the reasons he and Koman saw value in setting a series in a newsroom environment, essentially creating “the same comedy feel as The Office,” Daniels said.
“You want a subject that you believe a real documentary would see [as] promising,” Koman told Peacock Blog. “If I saw a documentary about this subject, I would watch it because I think there's drama in it and there's people you can root for.”
Because of that, "the comedy sneaks up on you out of the sides,” Daniels said, “and the romance and the other aspects of the show kind of sneak up on you.”
Why They Brought Oscar Back
One familiar face from Dunder Mifflin can’t quite escape the cameras: Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nuñez). Now the head accountant at The Toledo Truth Teller who’s also on the Arts & Leisure beat, Oscar isn’t happy to see the film crew back in his life.
Many conversations were had about which character from the past would make sense to see again. Daniels and Koman landed on Oscar because they felt his story still felt unfinished, to a degree. (By the end of The Office, Oscar is promoted to chief accountant of the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch and given his own office.) "I don't think anybody wants to see Jim and Pam for one episode and undo the lovely closure that happened at the end of their story, where they're going off to Texas," Daniels explained. “Oscar just maintained his dignity for the whole nine years and was still able to be embarrassed and fall into foolish circumstances.”
It was a conversation over lunch where Nuñez learned that Daniels was toying with bringing his character back for The Paper. “He said, ‘I'm thinking of having a show about a newspaper. Would you mind bringing your character back?’” the actor told Peacock Blog. It was an easy yes for Nuñez. "And that's all that was said.” As the pieces started coming together, including the casting of his new co-stars, The Office alum recalled feeling joy and excitement: “I was very happy from the very beginning.”
Meet the Team of Amateur Reporters
Just who are the new cast of characters at The Paper? Here’s a quick look at the ragtag team of reporters ready to break the latest local news story.
Mare Pritti
One of Ned’s early allies at The Toledo Truth Teller, Mare is the paper’s most promising reporter, who previously wrote for the Army’s Stars and Stripes. But she’s been relegated to copying and pasting stories to the Truth Teller’s website.
“Mare is somebody who's given up on having a career she really cares about. She is coasting a little bit when we meet her,” Chelsea Frei told Peacock Blog. “When Ned gets hired to lead Truth Teller, she is revived or revitalized with this newfound sense of purpose and hope that she could actually have a fulfilling career in journalism.”
Esmeralda Grand
The glamorous managing editor thrives on writing surface-level stories for the paper’s website and she’s more than happy to flaunt her work. When her authority is usurped by Ned’s appointment as the editor-in-chief, she makes it her mission to keep him in check. Sabrina Impacciatore told Peacock Blog that Esmeralda, who is a single mother from Italy, ultimately "wants to live the American dream.” Describing her as “bossy” and “manipulative,” Impacciatore said it’s all because her character is in “survivor mode.”
“She can't go back to her previous life. She just cannot. So, she's very bad at everything,” the actress noted. Therein lies the humor. “Esmeralda doesn’t know that she’s not good at anything. She’s very good at creating alternative realities.”
Nicole Lee
Recruited from the circulation department, Nicole (played by Never Have I Ever’s Ramona Young) becomes a volunteer reporter when Ned revamps the paper. Her intelligence yet nonconfrontational nature makes her a unique personality in the newsroom, where she finds herself romantically entangled with a fellow co-worker and not at all interested in defining their relationship.
Detrick Moore
Detrick works in ad sales for the paper, but his interest in the rebooted Truth Teller — and in particular, Nicole — leads him to join the volunteer staff.
“We have an unorthodox relationship,” Melvin Gregg told Peacock Blog, which he says is “both relatable but complex as love is often.” "We're trying to navigate that landscape of, 'Do I like her? Does she like me? How do I approach this? Oh, she's not paying me enough attention. Do I pay her more attention?' And just the complex world of dating.” The added layer of being co-workers and the potential messiness of that is a recipe for some hilariously awkward situations.
Adelola Olofin
Like Oscar, Adelola is an accountant at the paper and “the burnout character who we can all sort of recognize," Gbemisola Ikumelo, who is also on The Paper writing staff, told Peacock Blog. According to Ikumelo, her character is “happy to take a paycheck and go home. And being the smartest in the room, but the laziest as well. She's not really that interested in doing much more than the bare minimum.”
But when Ned injects positive energy and hope, she “slowly she starts to try,” Ikumelo said. "That's not something she's done in a while, so I think that's such a great jump-off point for the character, which is really exciting.”
Adam Cooper
A member of the accounting department alongside Oscar and Adelola, the simple-minded Adam – who is married with children – doesn't pretend to be the smartest in the room. Edelman, who is also on the writing staff of The Paper, described his character as a golden retriever.
“He's got dad brain. He's a golden retriever. And you know how Adelola is the smartest person in the room? No one has ever accused Adam of being the smartest person in the room,” the comedian told Peacock Blog. “He is the most enthusiastic in the room. He has got a very high EQ. But he's a sweet, simple guy.”
All 10 episodes of The Paper Season 1 are streaming now on Peacock.
