Creating another series in the universe of The Office was an extremely risky path to go down. Highly regarded as one of the best comedy series of the 2000s, if not all time, the humor and storytelling were so one of a kind that it would be nearly impossible to replicate them. Luckily, The Paper forges its own path of humor and storytelling to make it stand out while maintaining the signature mockumentary style of the original show.
Mostly taking place in a journalism office, the show follows the same documentary crew from The Office as they cover a Midwestern newspaper that hires a new editor in an attempt to revitalize the newsroom and the way they tackle news. Like its parent show, The Paper does a great job of hooking the audience with a variety of characters to root for, as well as root against. From egocentric newspaper managers to newfound journalists, these characters make the Office spin-off much better than anticipated, and a show that is worth your time.
Here are the 10 best characters in The Paper, ranked.
10
Adelola Olofin
Played by Gbemisola Ikumelo
Gbemisola Ikumelo plays Adelola Olofin, an accountant at the Toledo Truth Teller who turns into a journalist once the new editor arrives. Although she is initially perceived as the grumpy co-worker, she starts to reveal her own set of quirks as the show progresses, bringing in many standout comedic sequences. Her normality makes it easy to relate to her, but then there are scenes such as in the dog park where her acting chops truly shine. Her character may not have as much substance compared to the rest of the characters in the show yet, but Ikumelo brings enough gravitas to the role to make it stand out.
Characters like Adelola Help Make ‘The Paper’ Far Better Than it Has the Right to Be
It may not be breaking any boundaries for mockumentary TV shows, but The Paper is infinitely better than it has the right to be. Not only does the journalism setting make for a more unique approach to the dissection of the corporate world, but the writing of the characters and the storyline make for a spin-off worthy of existing. The fact that characters like Adelola Olofin, who plays a smaller role in the series, are given such memorable and distinct traits shows how well-executed the comedy series is, and hopefully they can continue it in the next season.
9
Travis Bienlien
Played by Eric Rahill
Eric Rahill plays Travis Bienlien, a part-time reporter who also works for a different organization in the same building, Softees. The Softees team and Toledo Truth Teller team have an ongoing rivalry in the show, and Travis acts as the perfect middle man. Although he tries to keep the peace with his workers, one of his best sequences involves him getting arrested for harrassing a source for a news story, which turns out to be his ex-girlfriend. Even though he is given little substance outside his work life, the storyline with his ex-girlfriend and the performance Rahill delivers makes him an easy addition to the list.
Eric Rahill’s Recent Comedy Run Is Incredible
Eric Rahill hasn’t been in a ton of projects, but he has made multiple appearances in many acclaimed comedy projects. He made brief appearances in shows like I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson as well as season 2 of The Bear. He also had a role in Friendship, one of the best received comedies of 2025. With The Paper also receiving solid reviews from critics, Rahill has had a great streak of comedy projects throughout the past couple years.
8
Ken Davies
Played by Tim Key
Tim Key plays Ken Davies, a corporate strategist for Enervate. Davies also serves as part-antagonist of the show, on many occasions teaming up with Esmerelda to hack schemes to ruin Ned Sampson’s reputation. Tim Key plays a bumbling villain extremely well, portraying sly comments in a dry manner that makes him the perfect antagonist for the show. While the writers could’ve done more to make his character likable, Key’s performance makes the character always watchable.
Tim Key Has Had a Promising Run of Projects in 2025
The Paper isn’t the only project Tim Key has appeared in this year. Key also had a brief role in Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17, where he played Pigeon Man. Key also starred in the music drama The Ballad of Wallis Island, where he plays a lonely man who hires two singers to play a private concert at his remote island. Key is incredible in The Ballad of Wallis Island, giving one of the best supporting performances of the year through his depiction of sadness and grief in the form of comedy. With these three roles alone, Key has had an incredible run of projects that not many actors can compete with in 2025.
7
Detrick Moore
Played by Melvin Gregg
Melvin Gregg plays Detrick Moore, an ad-sales worker for the Toledo Truth Teller who eventually becomes a volunteer reporter. Detrick’s attempts at winning over Nicole Lee’s heart are always a joy to watch. Whether it is friendly banter or making strange objects out of wood, Gregg’s portrayal of a man with love to share makes for an extremely likable character that is easy to root for.
The Instability of Nicole and Detrick’s Relationship Makes It Better
Unlike most sitcoms, The Paper sees Nicole and Detrick hook up after the first couple of episodes. Seeing them get together so soon after the introduction of Detrick’s feelings towards Nicole was a nice change of pace from most sitcoms. Although they start to hang out with each other more after their hook-up, they still aren’t officially a couple. It is revealed in later episodes that Nicole still uses dating apps, signifying that there is no label on the two of them yet. The way that the show finds more conflict in Nicole and Detrick’s relationship while also having them hook up on multiple occasions makes for a refreshing telling of an office romance.
6
Mare Pritti
Played by Chelsea Frei
Chelsea Frei plays Mare Pritti, a journalist for the Toledo Truth Teller. Her job initially consisted of copying and pasting articles from the Associated Press onto the Toledo Truth Teller website, but with the new editor making many changes to how the organization is run, her drive for chasing stories is reunited. Mare acts as the Jim Halpert of the show, one of the more straight-laced characters that forms a romantic interest with one of her co-workers. While she is given more substance than most of the cast, her normality prevents her from standing out as much as other characters in the show.
Mare and Ned’s Relationship Isn’t as Strong as the Show Wants It To Be
Mare and Ned spark a solid working relationship due to their shared love of journalism, which eventually turns into something more by the end of the season. While the two actors have great chemistry with one another, their relationship doesn’t feel as strong as it should be. The way it blossoms is just like any other office relationship in sitcoms, lacking any standout traits outside their love for journalism. The pairing especially stands out as weaker next to Nicole and Detrick’s relationship, whose chaos is much more appealing. The upcoming season has the potential to do more with Mare and Ned, but at this point, their romance is underwhelming.
5
Barry
Played by Duane Shepard Sr.
Duane Shepard Sr. plays Barry, one of the most seasoned workers of the Toledo Truth Teller. The show uses Barry’s old age as the foundation of his character as he is constantly oblivious to his surroundings, making for some of the funniest sequences in the whole season. Every time he makes a comment about something, it is almost entirely unrelated to the topic of conversation, which makes his character extremely unpredictable and engaging. Although he doesn’t have much depth, Shepard Sr.’s performance electrifies every scene he’s in.
‘The Paper’ Does a Good Job of Creating Unique Original Characters Like Barry
Being based in the same universe as The Office, it would’ve been easy for the writers to recreate characters from the original show, but luckily, The Paper treads away from copying and creates well-rounded characters that have signature characteristics. Although there are some characters who act as different representations of characters from The Office, such as Mare filling Jim’s shoes, for the most part, each character has their own distinct personalities, which helps justify the existence of the show.
4
Adam Cooper
Played by Alex Edelman
Alex Edelman plays Adam Cooper, another accountant at the Toledo Truth Teller who becomes a journalist. Similar to Barry, Adam is sometimes unaware of what he is supposed to be doing, especially as a reporter. Instead of solely acting as a comedic character, Edelman plays the role in a way that makes the audience feel bad for him. As a parent of four kids, he brings a lot of empathy to the role that can be perceived as relatable to many current parents. Although he isn’t given much progression throughout the season, the charm that Edelman brings to the character makes him one of the best.
Many of the Actors Are Also the Writers on the Show
Much like The Office, a fair number of the reoccurring characters are credited as writers of The Paper. Adam Cooper, Adelola Olofin, and Eric Rahill all serve as writers. Having the actors also play a role as writers allows for a stronger depiction of the characters. Because they write the characters, they know exactly how they are supposed to be portrayed, making for three-dimensional characters that are easily digestible.
3
Marv Putnam
Played by Allan Harvey
Allan Harvey plays Marv Putnam, the president of Enervate who oversees the Toledo divisions. Unlike most CEOs, Marv is an extremely warm and loyal leader who looks out for his workers, and he comes off that way because of Harvey’s performance. The relationship he builds with each member of Enervate is always delightful to watch, making the episode centered on Ned’s suspicion extremely sad. He may not appear in every episode, but Marv Putnam is easily one of the most likable and overall best characters in the show.
Shows Need To Make More CEOs Likable
It is almost a cliché for a CEO to be an unlikable person in shows and movies, especially to their employees. The Paper flips the cliché on its head, making for an extremely refreshing take on the corporate world. Although there are likely countless real-life scenarios where the CEO of a company is not a good person to their employees, seeing a likable CEO in a show is very heartwarming, and something that more shows should take into account when trying to stand out among the array of shows focused on the workplace.
2
Esmeralda Grand
Played by Sabrina Impacciatore
Sabrina Impacciatore plays Esmerelda Grand, the managing editor of the Toledo Truth Teller. Initially starting out as one of the show’s antagonists due to Ned taking over as the authority figure, she slowly warms up to him and becomes a vital member of the newspaper team. Esmeralda is initially a hard character to root for due to her unnecessary hatred toward Ned, but as the show progresses, her big personality and natural charm make her one of the standout characters. Eccentric and obsessed with social media, Impacciatore fully realizes the character with her committed performance that stands above almost every character in the show.
Sabrina Impacciatore Is on the Rise
Sabrina Impacciatore makes a profound impression with her role in The Paper, and it is one of many projects that is pushing her to Hollywood stardom. Impacciatore also appeared in season 2 of The White Lotus, scoring an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series as the manager of the White Lotus in Sicily. Making major impressions on both The White Lotus and The Paper, Sabrina Impacciatore is bound to become a hugely popular actress in the near future.
1
Ned Sampson
Played by Domhnall Gleeson
Domhnall Gleeson plays Ned Sampson, the new editor-in-chief of the Toledo Truth Teller and main protagonist of the show. Unafraid to spread his love of journalism, Ned stands as the best character in the show by being the most well-rounded and three-dimensional of the bunch. His character is given lots of depth and backstory, with the audience fully grasping why he is the way he is while acknowledging why he loves journalism so much. It helps that Domhnall Gleeson is an incredible actor, but the writing of his character equals his compelling performance, which makes his character stand as the best The Paper has to offer.
Domhnall Gleeson Should Do More Comedies
Known for his roles in the Star Wars and Harry Potter universes, Domhnall Gleeson has rarely ventured into straight-comedy territory, making his role in The Paper even more of a delight. Gleeson passionately inhabits the role of Sampson and all his quirks with incredible comedic timing. Although he played a major role in the Peter Rabbit films, The Paper is one of Gleeson’s first major roles where he is able to go all-in on the comedy, and because of how well it turned out in the show, hopefully he will take on more comedy roles in the future.
- Release Date
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September 4, 2025
- Network
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Peacock
- Directors
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David Rogers, Jason Woliner, Jeffrey Blitz, Jennifer Celotta, Ken Kwapis, Matt Sohn, Paul Lieberstein, Yana Gorskaya
- Writers
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L.E. Correia, Michael Levin, Alex Edelman, Patrick Kang, Ben Philippe, Eric Rahill
