When it comes to 2025 TV premieres, The Office spinoff, The Paper, definitely threw me off, in a good way. I went from having no interest in it, to suddenly getting very excited by the premise and then binge-watching it in the matter of a few days. But now that I’ve finished it, it’s safe to say that I’m all in on the new workplace comedy from Peacock.
But, there is an aspect of the show I’ve been scratching my head about since finishing the season finale: Ned and Mare’s budding romance.
I Think Ned And Mare Are Cute, But Is The Paper Forcing Their Romance On Us, And Too Soon?
As someone who grew up watching examples of TV relationship “couple goals” like The Office’s Jim and Pam, Parks and Recreation’s Leslie and Ben or Friends’ Chandler and Monica, what has happened in The Paper across the first season is both completely expected and off brand for what we’ve come to know from the genre all at once. For one, having the two main characters of a comedy show, who work together, kiss at the end of the first season, feels unheard of. The series going by a binge release model definitely doesn’t help, but I was rather shocked that the relationship between a boss and his subordinate is heating up on the show so soon.
It left me wondering if the creators are doing so because they feel like they need to rope us in sooner with a romance because those elements of other shows like them have been highlights for fans. And look, I love a romance as much as anyone else, especially the beginning of a kind of messy one between two very likable characters, but I wonder if bringing them together too soon will mean I, and other viewers will fizzle out on them quicker. A big part of what makes them as iconic as they are was how the writers and actors left us longing for them to be together, and I simply didn’t have enough time on The Paper to decide if I like them together.
TV Show Office Romances Have Been At Their Best When It's A Slow Burn (And This Definitely Isn't One)
That being said, maybe it’s better that I’m left in uncharted territory and curious by the end of The Paper, and where Ned and Mare are concerned. And, co-creator Greg Daniels did tell NBC that the decision was a point of great discussion among the other writers and cast. In his words:
The fights didn't stop at the [writers] room… Like the day before we were shooting that [kiss], we were in the hotel room with Paul Lieberstein, who wrote it, [director] Jeff Blitz, Domhnall and Chelsea, hashing out what should happen.
The more I think about it, what’s bothering me the most is what The Paper cliffhanger says about formulas in comedy shows, and my worries about whether it will work if the show does divert from the norm. I’m definitely excited that The Paper Season 2 has already been renewed, and it’s not trying to be a carbon copy of The Office, but I also want to experience the next great TV couple, and Ned and Mare have left me in uncharted waters.
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