Critic Reviews

The bingeable first season will leave everyone from “Office” diehards to new viewers wanting more — which is just as well, since Peacock ordered a second season a day before its debut. While we hope for a bigger episode order and quick turnaround, the “Truth Teller” staff will be reporting for duty, available to stream and make us laugh any time.

Like The Office, this deft workplace comedy also strikes a universal chord with an endearingly amusing ensemble of silly would-bes and never-wases.

A show that doesn’t just inspire laughs — it can actually feel pretty inspiring. Because yeah, everyone’s gotta work for a living. It’s nice, though, to see people living for work they believe in.

By the time of the first season’s halfway mark, though, the rough edges are smoothed out, the cast camaraderie feels locked in, and the series proves to be a joyride. .... The Paper also feels like it’s forging its own path here, mixing those comforting mockumentary vibes with material that’s funnier and timelier than expected.

Ironically, a show about the place of ink-and-paper journalism in a social media era is weaker because it’s clearly wanting to be a 20+ episode season kind of show that fell victim to dropping in the binge-and-stream era. The tried and true formula creator Greg Daniels has honed across a handful of successful series is on full display in The Paper. The character archetypes you’d expect from an Office spin-off are here, as is the easy sense of positivity and that change for the good is possible that you might expect from the creator of Parks and Rec. Maybe it moves a little too briskly for its own good, arriving at places we can all see coming, but they’re satisfying places and it’s funny the whole trip.

The Paper isn't nearly at that level [The Office and Parks and Rec] yet, but it's easy to see how it could get to that point, especially considering how strong this first season is — particularly once it really gets its dynamic and tone figured out halfway through.

When viewed as its own entity with intriguing, at times touching, ties to a world we know and love, The Paper is a skillfully-crafted mockumentary with heaps of heart and potential.

The first “Paper” episode is amusing but rarely outright funny. The comedy quotient improves in later episodes, particularly episode four, when Esmerelda moves from sabotaging Ned to working alongside him on a scheme.

“The Paper” is quite funny, in much the same way as its predecessor.

“The Paper” is a smart, breezy, good-natured sitcom, and something of a love letter to the noblest aspects of the profession. There’s crisp writing and a likable cast led by an earnest performance from the versatile Domhnall Gleeson as Ned Sampson.