‘The Paper,' a new ‘The Office' spinoff, will be out in September
For those who dismiss 'The Paper' as unoriginal, keep in mind: technically, 'The Office' was, too. Based on Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's acclaimed English series, NBC's 'The Office' was derivative from the start. So while I'd love for original sitcoms to become breakouts more often, the fact is that
any
connection to a preexisting series can only help a show attract more viewers. It'll then be up to 'The Paper' to keep them from flipping back over to 'Office' reruns.
At first, it seemed like 'The Paper''s only real tie to 'The Office' was the fact that it would also be set in a dingy office, but there are two more connecting threads between the shows. For one, the character of Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nuñez), who's seemingly given up on Pennsylvania politics since we last saw him on 'The Office,' returns. But the other overlap between the shows is the most significant.
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By the end of 'The Office,' its 'mockumentary' style became part of the story. A late arc revealed the actual documentary crew behind the interviews, including a cameraman who'd been pining for Pam (Jenna Fischer) for years. Now, the same crew that camped out at Dunder Mifflin are headed to Toledo for their next project: 'The Paper.' Whether that means more meta 'behind the scenes' moments remains to be seen.
Some mockumentaries ('
Caroline Framke is a media analyst who previously served as Variety's chief TV critic. Her other work can be found at The Atlantic, Vulture, Vox, and more.
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