The Paper: Release Date, Cast, and Everything Else to Know About Peacock's The Office Spin-Off

As Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) once said, identity theft is not a joke. But if a TV show borrows the identity of a show we already like, who are we to argue? The Paper, a new comedy inspired by The Office, is en route at Peacock, and it's in good hands: Greg Daniels, who adapted The Office for American audiences, is on board as co-creator.

The new series will be a mockumentary set in the same universe as The Office, but it's not a reboot or a revival. It's more like a spin-off. Though the show will feature a character from the original series, it will focus on a mostly new cast of characters working a different job in a city that's not Scranton — and we've got the scoop on what kind of work this office does (which you've probably gathered from the title) and who's clocking in for a shift. 

Here's everything to know about The Paper, from who's been cast to what it's about. We'll update this post with the latest information as it's announced.

More on The Office:

• The 50 best episodes of The Office, ranked
• The 40 best guest stars on The Office, ranked
• More shows like The Office to watch if you miss The Office
• The best shows on Peacock

The Paper premiere date

We won't have to wait long for the first edition of The Paper. The series will premiere on Thursday, Sept. 4, and will drop all 10 episodes at once.  

The Paper trailer

The trailer for The Paper was released in August, featuring a very exasperated Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nuñez).

The Paper cast

Domhnall Gleeson (The Patient) and Sabrina Impacciatore (The White Lotus) will star in the new series, leading an ensemble cast. Gleeson plays Ned Sampson, who's hoping to revitalize the struggling newspaper the Toledo Truth Teller as its new editor-in-chief, while Impacciatore plays managing editor Esmeralda Grand.

Oscar Nuñez, who played accountant Oscar Martinez in The Office, is booked to reprise his role in The Paper. 

Rounding out the regular cast are Melvin Gregg (American Vandal), Chelsea Frei (The Moodys), Ramona Young (Man Seeking Woman), Gbemisola Ikumelo (A League of Their Own), Alex Edelman (Just for Us), Tim Key (Taskmaster), and Eric Rahill (Friendship).

The Paper setting

As the title indicates, the team behind The Office is staying in the paper business for the new spin-off — but this time it's newspaper. Peacock has released a description of the spin-off, and it teases that the same documentary crew who filmed Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch have found their next subject: "a dying historic Midwestern newspaper and the publisher trying to revive it with volunteer reporters." The fictional newspaper, The Truth Teller, is based in Toledo, Ohio.

While The Office's spin-off is sticking with the mockumentary format, the struggle to keep local journalism alive is a far cry from the drudgery of selling paper, which should give The Paper a different flavor from either the NBC comedy or the BBC comedy that inspired it.

Who's behind The Paper

Greg Daniels and Michael Koman are co-creating and executive producing the spin-off series. Daniels developed the American adaptation of The Office — based on the U.K. original by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. He also co-created Parks and Recreation and King of the Hill and created Prime Video's Upload, among other credits. Koman's credits include writing for Late Night with Conan O'Brien and co-creating Nathan for You.

Will other members of the cast of The Office appear in the spin-off?

While The Paper is set in the same world as The Office, it follows mostly new characters — aside from Oscar — who are working in a different industry. And while it's too soon to say for sure that no other series regulars from The Office will ever pop up in the spin-off (we know how TV works!), at least one significant actor from the NBC series has already ruled out an appearance. In May 2024, Steve Carell told The Hollywood Reporter that he won't be showing up in the spin-off. "It's just a new thing, and there's really no reason for my character to show up," he said.

Carell, who starred in The Office as Michael Scott, added that he will be watching the new series, calling the newspaper angle a "great conceit." He also praised Domhnall Gleeson, whom he worked with in FX's The Patient.

Will The Paper air on NBC?

Currently, The Paper is a Peacock exclusive, but according to Deadline, there have been internal discussions at NBCUniversal about giving The Paper a run on NBC to increase its reach. It makes business sense, as The Office is one of NBC's all-time great sitcoms, and a good reception on NBC could boost Peacock's subscriptions. Cross your fingers... or just sign up for Peacock.

The Paper review

The news is out: Read our review of The Paper here.

The Paper renewal

The day before its debut, The Paper was already making headlines. On Sept. 3, stars Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore announced on NBC's Today that The Paper has been renewed for Season 2.

How to watch The Office and The Paper

NBC's The Office is available to stream on Peacock. The Paper will also be a Peacock exclusive, so if you're a fan of The Office, you know what you have to do.