Blu-ray Review: The Paper: Season 1

Synopsis: ​Return to the universe of The Office with the new hit mockumentary series, The Paper. The documentary crew that immortalized Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch now focuses their cameras on a declining Midwestern newspaper whose newly arrived editor-in-chief Ned Sampson sets out to restore the once heralded Toledo Truth Teller back to its former glory.

Main Feature: Who knew the US version of The Office would be a source of world-building, interwoven crossover spin-off material? Sure, individual characters could easily have gone onto their own adventures ala Frasier Crane. But the show's premise and structure already featured plenty of that, mostly in the cold opens. Instead, they turn to the characters BEHIND the camera, namely the faux documentary crew that followed the Dunder Mifflin crew. Enter The Paper. This filming crew follows a fledgling local newspaper in an age of social media breaking the news; opinions taken as facts and facts taken as opinion; and tangible media items on thin ice. It is interesting that The Office feels timeless even now even thought the basis of the show is for the characters to push an item that would apply to that list on my list. So it's humorous already at the start to see The Paper report on a group of characters still trying to keep the dying thing from the original flagship show alive. And The Paper is good enough. The characters are not as memorable in this first season--then again, the first season of The Office was abysmal that when I first watched it (first time was only couple years ago), I almost gave up before it really started. Thankfully, it did get started, so The Paper can be given the same benefit of the doubt. Domhnall Gleeson carries his father Brendon's geens and has sharp comic timing. He's an interesting person to build around. But we had barely tapped the surface layer of Steve Carell when The Office started. Of what I have seen, Gleeson and his company show promise for an even better season 2.

Bonus Features: None.

Final Call: The debut season for The paper is fit enough to print.

Grade: B