Greg Daniels has revealed exactly how The Paper differs from The Office, and the show’s first clip confirms his vision in the most unexpected way.

Michael Scott’s greatest fantasy is finally coming true, just not for him. In The Paper, creator Daniels has created the workplace Michael always imagined he had: employees who genuinely admire their boss, meetings that people actually want to attend, and a team that is genuinely excited to come to the office and not out of obligation.

It’s the alternate universe version of The Office (sort of), and it might just be brilliant. In a chat with Entertainment Weekly, Daniels revealed,

[Dunder Mifflin] was so much about people trying to have a decent life and not get too bummed out at a very boring job, The boss is actually inspirational to the staff, and they get on board with this super low percentage of winning

The mind-bending reality hits immediately in The Paper’s first sneak peek. Where the Toledo Truth-Teller staff realizes their editor can see them from his temporary office, they stage an elaborate fake meeting to impress him.

View the clip here:

Domhnall Gleeson thus directs a meeting that has the whole nine yards, nodding, strategic hand-raising, and genuine high-fives between colleagues, with one character declaring it “the most fun meeting we’ve ever had.” This is what Michael Scott spent nine seasons desperately trying to achieve, except Domhnall Gleeson’s Ned Sampson actually earned it.

The contrast is staggering. But will it work?

The Paper Creator Greg Daniels Reveals Why He Almost Didn’t Make Office Spinoff

Greg Daniels | Credits: Team Coco/YouTube

Greg Daniels’ journey back to The Office universe was filled with hesitation and carefully planned exit strategies. Daniels confessed in the same Entertainment Weekly chat, he said,

I was very reluctant to open up the world of the show again, It was such a magical lightning-in-a-bottle kind of experience. It didn’t feel like we needed to say more about the characters. There was a lot of thinking about it.

So, knowing the risks, Greg Daniels didn’t take his job lightly. He understood just how rare and beloved the original series was and knew that a rushed or uninspired continuation could tarnish its legacy.

Over the years, he thought carefully about the idea. Eventually, he returned to the core concept he had pitched years ago, not just to keep the rights alive, but to explore new, relevant, and meaningful stories. He thus further added,

I had so many opportunities to back out built into the contract, I certainly would never do something in this world if I didn’t think it was going to be great.

In the end, Daniels ended up with something he’s not only excited to share with the world but also very proud of.

Domhnall Gleeson’s The Paper Boss Is the Complete Opposite of Michael Scott, Will It Work?

The biggest gamble in The Paper might be its complete reversal of The Office’s core dynamic. Where Michael Scott was a cringe-inducing manager whose employees barely tolerated his presence, Domhnall Gleeson’s Ned Sampson represents everything Michael never could be! Genuinely inspirational, mission-focused, and actually capable of motivating his team toward goals.

This significant shift raises the burning question of whether audiences will embrace a workplace comedy where the boss isn’t the primary source of dysfunction.

Here’s the thing, though: Michael Scott wasn’t entirely incompetent. He was the heart and soul of the show. He was actually a superstar salesman who consistently crushed his targets. Michael’s tragic flaw was that his skills didn’t translate to management. He could charm a client into buying reams of paper, but he couldn’t charm his own employees into basic respect.

Gleeson’s Ned Sampson flips this script entirely, but his journey from being widely disliked to genuinely loved by viewers made Michael Scott so lovable in the end. Despite his equally unconventional background as a toilet paper salesman, Ned brings a genuine passion from his college newspaper days. His employees actually want to succeed under his leadership. Speaking about the character, Daniels said in the Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend podcast,

This guy comes and he doesn’t really have a lot of journalism experience, He’s been selling toilet paper at another division of the company, but he loved being on his college newspaper and he wants to revitalize this newspaper.

The sneak peek’s fake meeting scene proves this dynamic works. As he further added,

People have sort of counted out newspapers. There is something in the tone of The Office that is this sort of poignancy of people doing their best in a situation that is not very hip, or people have kind of counted them out. This new show has got a little more Bad News Bears energy because they are trying to accomplish something, They are more inspired than the team that worked at Dunder Mifflin.

So will it work? Absolutely. The real test isn’t whether inspired employees can be funny, it’s whether audiences are ready for workplace comedy that doesn’t rely on secondhand embarrassment. If Daniels can mine humor from people who genuinely care about their jobs, The Paper might just prove it’s nothing like The Office after all.

The Paper overview:

CreatorsGreg Daniels and Michael KomanGenreMockumentaryNo. of Episdoes10Network/PlatformPeacockCastDomhnall Gleeson, Sabrina Impacciatore, Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young, Tim Key, Oscar Nunez

Will you watch The Paper? Let us know in the comments!

The Paper premieres September 4th on Peacock.
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