The Paper: Peacock's Schedule for The Office Spinoff Is a Total Red Flag
Greg Daniels' long-awaited Office spinoff, The Paper, is officially hitting Peacock this fall — but fans are already raising eyebrows at the release strategy.
While anticipation is high for Daniels' return to mockumentary territory, Peacock's decision to cram the entire season into one month feels more like a warning sign than a vote of confidence.
According to a press release from NBC, here's how The Paper will roll out:
- Premiere date: September 4
- Launch drop: 4 episodes on day one
- Follow-up schedule: 2 new episodes every Thursday
- Finale date: September 25
- Total episodes: 8
- Streaming platforms: Peacock (all tiers), starting at $7.99/month or $79.99/year
So it's basically one month, blink-and-you-miss-it. That gives The Paper just four weeks to build hype, generate discussion, and try to live up to the impossible expectations set by The Office.
This release model sharply contrasts with Peacock's own Poker Face Season 2, which debuted in May with a three-episode premiere and then stretched weekly releases through early July.
That slow burn gave fans breathing room to stay engaged, speculate, and actually talk about the show. With The Paper, it's more like: watch fast or get left behind.
It doesn't help that current hit shows like The White Lotus and Severance have thrived under a traditional weekly rollout, dominating online conversation for months. Releasing The Paper this quickly cuts out the potential for water-cooler buzz — the kind of chatter that helped The Office build its loyal audience over time.
Still, there's some optimism. Like the early days of The Office, The Paper is launching with a modest episode count (eight instead of six), and a big name in the lead: Domhnall Gleeson, already drawing comparisons to Steve Carell's Michael Scott. It's a clear nod to how The Office U.S. first tested the waters back in 2005 — also in a tight window — before becoming a phenomenon.
But that was 20 years ago. Streaming plays by different rules now, and compressing a major spinoff into 22 days feels less like strategy and more like a network crossing its fingers.
With Daniels back at the helm and Gleeson leading the charge, The Paper should have been given room to grow. Whether it actually gets that chance may depend on how many viewers manage to catch it before it's over.