NBCUniversal has unveiled the first look at The Paper, a new spinoff of The Office that trades printers for a printing press. The mockumentary follows a struggling Ohio newspaper and a brand-new cast of characters (plus one familiar face).
The first footage premiered Monday during NBC’s upfront presentation at Radio City Music Hall, introduced by cast members Domhnall Gleeson, Sabrina Impacciatore and Oscar Nuñez.
The six-episode series comes from Office creator Greg Daniels and Nathan for You’s Michael Koman. This time, the documentary crew that followed the employees of Dunder Mifflin is turning its lens on The Truth Teller, a failing newspaper in Toledo, Ohio. That’s where Nuñez’s character, Oscar, now works — alongside new characters played by Gleeson and Impacciatore.
“I told Mr. Greg Daniels that if Oscar came back, he would probably be living in a more bustling, cosmopolitan city,” Nuñez said during the event. “Greg heard me and he moved Oscar to Toledo, Ohio — which has three times the population of Scranton.”
Nuñez confirmed the series is a workplace comedy “called The Paper,” and noted that it brings back familiar themes in a new setting. Gleeson added that his character is part of “an ensemble cast of underdog characters banding together to keep journalism alive.”
The series will also star Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young and Tim Key. While no other returning characters from The Office have been announced, Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer recently visited the set and hinted at a possible reunion.
Daniels and Koman serve as writers and executive producers, joined by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (creators of the original U.K. Office), as well as longtime collaborators Howard Klein and Ben Silverman.
The Paper is set to premiere this September on Peacock.
