The Paper Beats The Office On Rotten Tomatoes But Critics Are Losing It

The Office spin-off The Paper just landed and it's already breaking records.

It has been more than a decade since The Office wrapped, and now Greg Daniels is back in that same sandbox with The Paper. Critics have already seen it, and the early word is surprisingly upbeat. Yes, I said surprisingly.

The early verdict: strong scores, split reactions

The Paper has landed an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes out of the gate. That is four points higher than The Office's overall average of 81%. Before you start victory-lapping, here is the inside-baseball bit: individual seasons of The Office soared well past that. Seasons 2, 3, and 5 sit at a perfect 100%, and the series average is dragged down hard by season 8's 44% faceplant. So the headline number is nice, but it is not the whole story.

"A sitcom that is not only worthy of its beloved predecessor, but it has the potential to become a cozy, long-running favorite; Dundie-worthy, even."

- Cameron Frew, Dexerto

On the positive side, Slant Magazine's Ross McIndoe says the show hits a sweet spot between laid-back, character-first comedy and bigger, sillier bits. On the other end, The New Yorker's Inkoo Kang argues the show feels sluggish in a very streaming-era way, and The Daily Beast's Nick Schager thinks season 1 plays it so safe it still has not figured out its own voice. So, warm reception overall, but not a slam dunk for everyone.

So what is The Paper actually about?

This one is set in the same world as The Office and even follows the same fictional documentary crew. They have packed up from Dunder Mifflin in Scranton and relocated to a Midwestern newsroom in Toledo. Their new subject: the Toledo Truth-Teller, a local paper led by a publisher doing everything possible to shock the place back to life. That 'same camera crew' detail is a neat little inside-baseball swing that ties the shows together without just rebooting The Office outright.

Who is making it and who is in it

The Paper is created by The Office's Greg Daniels. The ensemble is stacked:

• Domhnall Gleeson (About Time)
• Sabrina Impacciatore (The White Lotus season 2)
• Chelsea Frei
• Melvin Gregg
• Gbemisola Ikumelo
• Alex Edelman
• Ramona Young
• Tim Key
• Oscar Nunez (yes, The Office's accountant is here)

Release plan and an early renewal

The Paper premieres on Peacock on September 4 with four episodes. After that, expect two new episodes every Thursday through September 25. Peacock has already renewed it for a second season, which is a confident move considering the reviews, while largely positive, are not unanimous.