In a previous life, I was a newspaper reporter. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication, I left my hometown behind and eventually found a job at a small regional daily newspaper in the Midwest. So, when I found out that The Paper, Greg Daniels’ long-in-the-works offshoot of The Office, was going to follow a Midwestern newspaper trying to survive in today’s climate, my excitement level went through the roof!
As someone who dedicated a chunk of his adult life to city councils, boards of education, court, random ribbon cuttings, and the occasional breaking news story (still peeved my “Double Down and out of Town” headline was cut from a KFC story), I’m hoping this show allows me to look back on the funnier moments of my life at the paper. And thinking back on my time racing to meet a deadline, arguing for a story’s placement, or taking phone calls from upset subscribers, there’s a lot I want to see in this upcoming 2025 TV show.
A Stressed-Out And Underpaid Yet Close-Knit Group Of Reporters Has To Key To The Show
Much like the Office cast, I suspect The Paper is going to feature various employees from various sides of the business. At the core of the show, I need there to be a stressed-out and underpaid yet close-knit group of reporters who are trying to balance their personal lives while also getting the news to readers seven days a week.
While covering high-profile criminal cases (or spending three hours reading a book while you await a continuance to kick the can down the road), attending all kinds of local events, or wasting a Monday night at a local high school meeting can be fun, this is a stressful and unloved job. My colleagues, who quickly became lifelong friends, made that daily grind a whole lot more tolerable, and that made the difference. I hope we get some ragtag group of misfit writers trying to survive their beats when The Paper lands on Peacock later this year.
I Want There To Be Clashes Between The Editorial And Business Sides
One thing that a lot of the best journalism movies and TV shows have in common is the battle between editorial and business. On one hand, the news and editorial teams are trying to share the daily happenings with readers and the communities they cover, and on the other, you have the administrative and business folks thinking about the bottom line (looking at you, The Wire Season 5). While both sides get along (for the most part), more times than not, there’s a big divide there.
This is something I was kind of oblivious to until I started working for a paper after college. One day, I found out that one of my stories was buried, not because of my writing, but because the company I was writing about didn’t take out ads with us. Though moments like that pissed me off, I never failed to see the humor in it, and I honestly think that could make for a hilarious and brutally honest story for The Paper.
I Can't Wait To See How The Show Portrays A Dying Institution Trying To Recapture Its Former Glory
The newspaper business isn’t what it was 10 years ago, and it’s certainly not what it was during its heyday in the 20th century. Based on what Peacock has said about the upcoming show, The Paper will center on The Truth Teller, a newspaper in Toledo, Ohio, being revived by an eager publisher. I take that to mean a struggling publication trying desperately to recapture its former glory, and that sounds awesome.
My old paper celebrated its 150th anniversary two weeks before I was hired as one of its six beat reporters. Throughout my first year at the daily, I heard stories about the institution’s past and how it was one of the anchors of the local community for decades. It was admirable and exciting, albeit sad to see how the industry was a shell of its former self, with online competition and social media impacting operations. I honestly cannot wait to see how such situations are handled in the new show.
Crazy Local Residents Showing Up At Local Meetings And Events Is A Must
Shows like The Office and Parks and Recreation had so many side characters steal the show, and I don’t think The Paper will be any different when it comes around this fall. And let me tell you, if the new sitcom ends up focusing on the crazy local residents who show up at meetings, events, or even the newspaper’s front desk, we’re in for a real treat.
If I saw certain folks walk into a city council meeting or wait outside a board of education meeting, I knew I was in for a long yet eventful night (that may or may not turn into a story). We had made-up nicknames for some of these guys that turned into inside jokes we still laugh about years later. I guarantee that having Domhnall Gleeson, Sabrina Impacciatore, or Oscar Nuñez’s characters run into similar people and come up with their own inside jokes will make for must-see TV.
And There Has To Be An Eccentric And Wealthy Publisher, Right?
Some of the best sitcoms of all time, like WKRP in Cincinnati and NewsRadio, had wealthy and eccentric owners or publishers who brought a great deal of chaos to the lives of their employees. This is something I really want to see when The Paper comes out. Having worked with well-to-do people like that in the past, I can honestly say having such a character would provide a well of comedy that would never run dry.
I had a publisher who would insist on writing weekly stories on a typewriter that someone (usually the last to avoid eye contact) had to copy into our content management system. The same publisher would randomly show up and cover an event I was already working on and then forget to write it, meaning we’d get no story. It was never a sticking point, but more of an awkward and absurd moment my fellow reporters and I would laugh about later. And now I kind of miss it.
All in all, I cannot wait to see what The Paper has in store when it starts streaming with a Peacock subscription… even if it’s just to get all nostalgic and laugh about a previous life.
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