Peacock’s 2025 TV schedule offerings include one of my most anticipated shows this fall, Greg Daniels' new The Office series, The Paper. The fresh comedy is one of the most hyped items because it’s the veteran showrunner’s spinoff of the pop culture staple, The Office. And while I’m literally counting down the days until it’s September 4 premiere, the release schedule the streamer has planned for it makes me nervous.
As mentioned, fans of the OG lovable, cringeworthy show have been hoping for any continuation of the mockumentary for years. Now, we’re just around the corner from it, and plenty are buzzing, including Office alumni who have been advocating for it and its star, Domhnall Gleeson. So, as all of us are gearing up for its drop, Peacock revealed the release plan for the episodes. In a press release from NBC, it was announced that The Paper will start early in September, release multiple episodes each week, and end by the end of the month:
The Paper premieres on Peacock with four episodes on September 4, followed by two new episodes every Thursday through September 25.
The timeline is a blink-and-you’ll miss it moment, and I don’t love that for Daniels’ return to the Dunder Mifflin world. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad thing per se in the age of streaming and binge-watching, but I’m just surprised how much they're condensing the show’s release timeline. But, again, classic network standards paired against ever-developing streaming ones make it hard to seriously read into this.
However, taking a look at fellow Peacock Original series, Poker Face Season 2 can help give some perspective. It gave us a three-episode premiere on May 8 and has been releasing one episode per week through today, July 10. So, this schedule makes me wonder why they aren't doing the same thing with another presumably high-profile show like The Paper.
Regardless of all of the ins and outs of streamer schedule release templates, the singular month The Paper is getting provides very few opportunities for water-cooler moments. This year alone, we've seen primarily streamed shows, like Severance and The White Lotus, thrive on a week-to-week model. There was room for audiences to talk about what was going on in great detail for two full months or more. That kind of time is valuable for audiences to grow, and not giving The Paper that kind of opportunity worries me.
The shred of hope I’m clutching on to for dear life is that all of this is reminiscent of the US’s adaptation of the UK comedy’s introduction back in 2005. The Paper’s lead, Domhnall Gleeson, is playing a character who is already getting compared to Michael Scott, like Carell was to Ricky Gervais’ David Brent. Also, like The Office, which had six episodes and a run from March 29 to April 26 to prove itself, The Paper will get eight episodes and the month of September to win audiences over.
As you can guess, I’ll be keeping tabs on The Paper through its month-long release. And I'll be watching it with my Peacock subscription week to week while doing my best to keep the calendar concerns at bay.
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