Steve Carell Made One Move That Saved The Paper And Calmed The Office Creator’s Biggest Fear
Greg Daniels nearly wavered on The Paper, the risky follow-up to The Office, until a timely push from Steve Carell — now the new series is already surprising skeptics and winning over even the most protective fans.
Spinning off anything connected to The Office is a minefield. Fans are protective, the comparisons are brutal, and honestly, who needs another half-baked cash-in? Luckily, The Paper isn’t that. It’s a new workplace comedy from Greg Daniels that feels familiar without being a retread, and it’s already getting solid marks. Here’s how it happened, who’s in it, and where Steve Carell lands on showing up (spoiler: he’s not).
The Paper at a glance
- What it is: A mockumentary-style comedy where the same documentary crew from The Office pivots to a failing newspaper company
- Creators: Greg Daniels and Michael Koman
- Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Sabrina Impacciatore, Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young, Tim Key, Oscar Nunez
- Where to watch: Peacock (USA)
- Season/Episodes: 1 season, 10 episodes
- Rotten Tomatoes: 85% critics, 70% audience
Daniels almost didn’t make it
Even with The Office’s legacy behind him, Daniels wasn’t exactly gung-ho about doing a follow-up. He was wary of the whole idea turning into a brand exercise and went into the pitch with some hard lines: if it didn’t look good, he’d pull the plug. Period. It was a long negotiation, and he made it clear he wasn’t interested in cheapening the original cast or the show’s reputation just to get something on air.
The turning point was a call with Steve Carell. Daniels says Carell basically gave him permission to stop overthinking it.
"It doesn’t matter. The Office is fine. Go ahead, take a whack at it."
That reassurance opened the door for Daniels and co-creator Michael Koman to try something new with the same doc-crew conceit, just in a different, very 2020s kind of doomed workplace: a struggling newspaper.
Carell and Krasinski showed up day one
On the first day of filming, John Krasinski and Steve Carell dropped by to wish the new cast luck. Nice gesture, smart optics, and yes, it immediately kicked the rumor mill into overdrive about potential cameos.
Will Michael Scott appear? Here’s Steve Carell’s answer
Carell’s supportive, but he’s not planning a return. He spelled it out pretty clearly:
"I will be watching but I will not be showing up. It’s just a new thing and there’s really no reason for my character to show up in something like that. But I’m excited about it, it sounds like a great concept. I love the idea — I guess it’s set in a failing newspaper company."
So, Michael Scott fans: set expectations to "maybe a fun visit on set, not on screen." That said, the cast does include Oscar Nunez, which is a fun wrinkle, even if this isn’t an Office reunion.
So, how is it?
Pretty good so far. Critics are into it, audiences are generally on board, and the premise feels right for the moment. If you want to see how a mockumentary team handles print media on life support, The Paper is streaming now on Peacock in the US.