I shouldn’t still be on the fence about a show’s existence as it enters its second season, but here we are. The Paper season 2 returns to Peacock on September 9 — but out of its 10 new episodes, I’d say that only half are worth watching.
Why? Because The Office spinoff is still suffering from the same overarching issue as it did in season 1: everything is just that little bit underwhelming. Exactly a year after we left the writers of the Toledo Truth Teller, not much has changed in terms of the big picture.
Editor-in-Chief Ned (Domhnall Gleeson) is still desperately searching for the stories that will take his team to the next level, while Esmeralda (Sabrina Impacciatore) rarely thinks about anybody’s reputation but her own. Nicole (Ramona Young) is still giving Kelly Kapoor vibes in a majorly inferior way, while Mare (Chelsea Frei)… well, she’s just trying her best.
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Without giving anything away, there are enough major dramatic plot points to steer the drama away from journalists despairing in an office. However, some of these are short-lived, and worse, give off trying-too-hard energy.
In Mean Girls, Regina George tells Gretchen Wieners to “stop making fetch happen. It’s not going to happen,” and I almost want to shake Peacock by the shoulders and explain that the same thing is happening here. The Paper season is being forced into existence, rather than having having a natural evolution.
Still, you can grab laughs where you can in some places, but for Brits, there’s a lot more reason to be smiling. Tim Key and Gbemisola Ikumelo are easily the strongest players in this wayward cast, and they alone would be enough reason for me to keep watching if season 3 is given the green light.
The Paper season 2 is trying (and mostly failing) to make fetch happen
I think we can all agree that The Paper is far more similar to Parks and Recreation than it ever has been to The Office. This awkward resemblance only becomes more noticeable in season 2, as Ned’s eagerness to become a pillar of the community (which incidentally seems to hate him) only increases.
I think the key difference here is how easy and natural the camaraderie, and sense of community, comes in Parks and Rec. None of that is genuine in The Paper, to the point where I’m almost rooting for Ned to fail. With the exception of Esmeralda, everyone is better off spending their time elsewhere — something that is directly explored as season 2 continues.
Some fans have critiqued The Paper‘s 10-episode bursts, arguing that seasons should rival the 25 episodes a piece we used to get for such shows back in the glory days of the early 2000s. However, I’d argue that the season already struggles to fill those 10 episodes, with some feeling like stagnant filler content in between the more intriguing storylines.
I can also see how Esmeralda was so divisive in season 1, and in bad news for critics, I think creators have doubled down on her grating personality traits this year. From the moment episode 1 kicks off, her extroverted vanity is on display in full force, and it hits pantomime levels of performance.
While there are points in season 2 where I enjoy this, her temperament does risk overshadowing the rest of the ensemble cast… and I’ve come away wishing that I felt a more invested in their stories as a result.
Tim Key Supremacy
But never fear! There are two heroes in our midst in the form of Tim Key and Gbemisola Ikumelo. Where Esmeralda is spiralling into chaos, Key’s character Ken is the only one able to use this to his advantage. Esmeralda becomes the sidekick in their compelling (and genuinely hilarious) double act, which hits its peak between episodes 2 and 3.
A sharp, witty British man who is always armed with thinly-veiled criticism is exactly what this show needs, and Key plays his part to perfection. In fact, his scenes made me feel ashamed that I’d forgotten how good a comedic actor he is — since The Ballad of Wallis Island, I’d filed him in the director directory part of my brain.
Then there’s Ikumelo. I couldn’t believe that this quietly sassy and genius American accountant was the same woman who found Diane Morgan’s fake farts on Last One Laughing UK season 2 so funny that she screamed her tears out. Metamorphosis is an incredible (and incredibly rare) skill to have as an actor, meaning she should never be underestimated. Now she just needs more bookings on UK comedy shows, please.
I know I may have made it sound like it’s the case, but The Paper season 2 is far from the worst TV show, or comedy series, in 2026. But don’t think it will be gracing my ‘best of the year’ lists, either.
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