'The Paper' season 2 has a sophomore slump, but I still want more

The Paper is the TV spinoff of The Office. The mockumentary-style comedy's second season is more uneven than its first, but the bumpy trajectory isn't wasted. As the show digs in and discovers what it truly is, I think it's in a good spot to move forward and deliver more laughs than ever.

The first season spent its time finding its footing, establishing the new characters, and dissociating them from obvious Jim, Pam, or Michael comparisons. This second season, streaming in its entirety on Peacock, evolves beyond its spinoff roots and, for better or worse, becomes its own entity.

If you want to draw similarities to another show from creator Greg Daniels, Parks and Rec also fought to develop its stride before fully running away as a hit. Season two of The Paper shows those same wobbly beginnings. Thankfully, it also has the same flashes of comedic brilliance.

Figuring out who the likeable characters actually are

Workplace romances, journalistic story chasing, and friendship statuses make up the bulk of season two's storylines. We get to see new sides of the characters through those lenses. Changing who people interact with and giving them new workplace tasks fleshes out characters' personalities.

After two full seasons, I have a new appreciation for Chelsea Frei as Mare Pritti and Melvin Gregg as Detrick Moore. Those are the two clear standouts of the show. Detrick has always had that good guy, likeable vibe, but this season expands our view of him, showing he isn’t just one-dimensional. He actually puts in the work and has aspirations.

Domhnall Gleeson plays Ned Sampson and continues to do fine as the lead. He gets a little wacky at different points throughout the season. It's never enough to dislike his character, but I also don’t think he endears himself to the audience in any new way.

Sabrina Impacciatore as Esmeralda Grand is still a wild card. She's meant to be a drop of chaos in any scene at any point. She almost put me off in season one. If we're making comparisons to The Office, she's a more energetic, malicious Dwight. 

Thankfully, I thought Esmeralda was more controlled in season two and deployed more carefully. There’s just the right amount of her antics across the episodes. Similarly, we only need a pinch of Tim Key, who plays Ken Davies. Pairing the two up for a majority of their appearances was a bold choice, but didn’t turn out to be a disaster.

Season two needed to pick a lane

In hindsight, the thing that The Paper did so well during its first run was centering the season plot around a newspaper story. These people work at a newspaper, after all. Season two seems like it’s trying to do that, but never quite gets there.

Instead, the show tries to revolve around Ned and Mare, which turns out to be less exciting than you might think. These characters just aren't exciting romantic figures in this context.

So, with a lackluster romantic storyline and two other half-competing plot lines—the tornado and the Glass Club—the season's focus feels off.

The stories aren't hard to follow. Lots of funny bits are sprinkled throughout. But none of them feels fully developed. Instead, I wish the fluff was cut, and more characters were brought into the main stories—either directly or on the peripheries.

Is The Paper season 2 worth watching?

The second season of The Paper may be a bit of a sophomore slump thanks to convoluted throughlines, but the show's strong foundation and flashes of comedic brilliance make it worth watching. Have you watched the trailer? It's a riot.

The first and second seasons are available to stream on Peacock in their entirety. And together, I think they justify subscribing to the service for a month. As uneven as season two is, it still leaves me wanting another batch of new episodes in a third season.