When I first heard about NBC's brand new The Office spin-off, The Paper, I was beyond excited. A sitcom about a stressed-out editor trying to save a failing newspaper? Not to sound too meta, but as the managing editor of the Threefold Advocate (that approximately twelve people read on a good day), this premise hit uncomfortably close to home. With a staff of less-than-motivated reporters, a corporation that keeps sabotaging the paper's interests, and an editor who may just have an anxious breakdown for the sake of releasing an issue, The Paper felt a little too relatable for me to pass up.
Many were skeptical when the show was first announced, questioning whether it could ever match The Office's humor and quality. But with an intriguing premise and Greg Daniels (one of the two original creators from The Office) returning to helm the project, audiences were cautiously optimistic. Now, more than a month after its release, the verdict is the internet, as well as I, are conflicted.
The show follows the staff of the Toledo Truth Teller, an Ohio-based newspaper on the verge of being shut down, as they welcome new editor-in-chief Ned Sampson, played by Domhnall Gleeson. Throughout the season, Ned tries to keep the Truth Teller afloat despite limited resources and even more limited stories, all while struggling against two bosses who want him out and the very business that owns the newspaper: toilet paper manufacturer Softees. Though the first couple of episodes are pretty slow, with characters seeming unremarkable and even bland, the second half of the show portrays interesting dynamics and offers viewers some genuinely laughable moments.
It's hard not to judge The Paper harshly when viewed alongside beloved Greg Daniels shows like The Office and Parks and Recreation. This has become evidently clear through the character of Esmeralda. Esmeralda, played by Sabrina Impacciatore, seems to be the most controversial character, with most IMDB reviews stating that the show would be better without her. Some have even described Esmeralda as a "worse version" of first season Michael Scott with "no redeemable qualities." The Paper has shot itself in the foot by inviting comparison to one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time. Audiences inevitably judge it against The Office, even though they're two distinct shows with mostly separate storylines.
However, despite her reception, I've found Esmeralda to be one of the funniest — if not the funniest — character in the show. She's spontaneous, erratic, often narcissistic, but not smart enough to actually hurt anybody. In most cases, it's obvious she acts out of insecurity rather than malice, and even in the few episodes we're offered, we see her grow as she embarks on plots with different characters throughout the show. If a plot is funny, it's almost certainly because Esmeralda was involved in one way or another.
So how do I explain the hatred most people are directing toward her? It might be hasty to call it misogyny, but I don't think that's a bad explanation for the disproportionate criticism she's received. It's amusing to me how audiences seem to love this sort of overbearing, annoying personality on a character like Michael Scott, but immediately frown upon it when portrayed by a woman like Esmeralda—a character who I'd argue is less annoying and more endearing than Michael Scott in the first few seasons of The Office. And though I was just guilty of doing this myself, comparing both characters doesn’t do justice to either of them, as they've been constructed with their own distinct personalities and are in no way simply gender-bent versions of each other.
However, something I haven't seen many people criticize is the show's main protagonist: Ned. Any good sitcom has a remarkable protagonist with at least one major character trait and flaw they develop throughout the series. Parks and Rec has Leslie Knope, with her enthusiasm for government bordering on obsessiveness. Community has Jeff Winger, whose narcissistic and manipulative tendencies are ultimately softened by the people he surrounds himself with. The Paper has Ned, played by the talented Domhnall Gleeson (whose participation in the show I was genuinely excited about), a character who feels underwritten compared to sitcom leads we've come to expect.
To Ned's credit, you can see his genuine passion for journalism and his enthusiasm for working at and saving the Truth Teller. His storylines where he's anxiously scrambling to find a story are generally pretty funny and relatable, especially for anyone who's ever faced a deadline with nothing to show for it. And Gleeson brings a nervous energy to the role that works well in these moments. But overall, Ned doesn't seem to have any real dynamic with the staff of the Truth Teller, instead solely relying on Mare to do the writing for most stories—something that comes off as the show simply trying to force a romantic storyline where there isn't one. Even when he's in the wrong, he appears to lack self-awareness and hardly tries to correct his mistakes. And most of all, he's just not consistently funny. I hardly laughed at many of his jokes, with secondary characters like Adam or Nicole getting more laughs out of me than he did. Where characters like Michael Scott got away with being infuriating at the expense of being hilarious, Ned Sampson doesn’t seem to have much to offer as a protagonist beyond being a somewhat competent editor for the Truth Teller with pretty obvious daddy issues.
Now, this isn't to say that I expected The Paper, or any of its characters, to be perfect. As is typical for first seasons of most sitcoms, the dynamics and chemistry between characters are just now unraveling, and the show is still finding its rhythm and humor. This is only natural in this type of format. Shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, for example, had double the episodes and didn't find a steady rhythm until near midway or the end of the season. With only ten episodes, I'd say The Paper is working sufficiently with what it's got, and it seems like a premise with the potential to stretch into a much longer, pretty funny sitcom. Now renewed for a second season, I can only hope they're awarded more episodes in which the chemistry between characters (apart from Mare and Ned) can be explored more thoroughly and the never-ending anxieties of news writing are portrayed to those of us who understand them. And gosh do I hope they keep Esmeralda.
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