Who's Watching 'The Office' Spin-Off, 'The Paper'?

Styled like a mockumentary and following in the footsteps of its predecessor, The Paper follows a struggling newspaper in Ohio as its new editor attempts to revitalize the business of local news. It has a similarly zany cast of characters and lots of physical comedy to show off in a new trailer, but more importantly, it features the same fictional documentary crew behind The Office. The narrative thread seems tenuous at best, but at least the trailer garnered a few chuckles.

The Paper stars Domhnall Gleeson, AKA Bill Weasley from Harry Potter, and most importantly, Sabrina Impacciatore, better known as Valentina from the critically lauded second season of The White Lotus. Interestingly, it also stars Oscar, played by Oscar Nuñez. Fans will remember him as the straight man character — the joke being that he’s gay — from the original series, who endeared viewers with his shady quips and near-perpetual state of eye-rolls. How and why he’s at a local Ohio paper remains to be seen, especially because he was last spotted running for Pennsylvania state senator.

Other actors include Chelsea Frie, Tracy Letts, Molly Ephraim, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young, and Tim Key. Speaking to People in June, Gleeson told the outlet that “I don't think my character's like Michael Scott at all. If you're trying to compete with what Steve [Carell] did or with what Ricky Gervais did, I think it would be a massive mistake.” For anyone hopeful that other cast members might make an appearance, former The Office stars Steve Carell and John Krasinski shot down the rumors already.

Image via NBC Universal