Editor’s Note: The following contains full spoilers for Season 2 of ‘The Paper’
Key Insights
- The interview with Collider reveals that Greg Daniels and Michael Koman discuss the significant character developments in The Paper Season 2, particularly for Ned and Mare.
- Daniels mentions a larger connection to The Office was removed to prevent overshadowing The Paper.
- The showrunners detail Nicole’s struggles and the collaboration of Season 2’s guest stars.
The Paper may have started as a spin-off of The Office, but by Season 2 of the Peacock sitcom, the staff at Ohio’s local newspaper, the Toledo Truth Teller, has plenty of problems of its own. For starters, Ned (Domhnall Gleeson) spends much of the season searching for a big “journalistic crusade” while trying to keep his relationship with Mare (Chelsea Frei) from becoming another workplace story. Naturally, it does — and Mare eventually leaves for the Cincinnati Chronicle.
But as the season progresses, Ned’s Glass Club investigation becomes the one story that could bring her back. As co-creator Greg Daniels tells Collider, Ned is “trying to juggle both his romance and his obligations to the paper.” Meanwhile, his creative partner Michael Koman says the writers always try to “combine a newspaper story with an emotional story.”
But even as The Paper builds out its own newsroom and gives us another glimpse of local journalism in a bigger city through Mare’s eyes, The Office is never very far behind. Season 2 continues Oscar’s (Oscar Nuñez) little check-ins with Kevin (Brian Baumgartner), where Daniels reveals there was originally a much bigger connection to the original series that ultimately never made it to screen. So, how do Daniels and Koman decide when to lean into The Office and when to pull back?
In an exclusive conversation about Season 2, Collider spoke with Daniels and Koman about balancing The Paper with its Office roots, why Ned ultimately gives away the story he spent all season chasing, what is really going on with Nicole (Ramona Young) after Season 1’s breakup with Detrick (Melvin Gregg), the Office connection that almost happened, and how a character written as a “Jon Lovitz-type” ended up being played by Jon Lovitz himself.
‘The Paper’ Season 2 Turns Ned’s Biggest Story Into a Love Story
“Our goal is always to combine a newspaper story with an emotional story.”
COLLIDER: Ned spends most of the season searching for this big journalistic crusade, only for the Glass Club investigation to ultimately become Mare’s story. What interested you about having Ned finally make the choice he’s been chasing, only to give that choice away to someone he loves?
GREG DANIELS: Well, there is a shape of it from a romantic standpoint of him trying to juggle both his romance and his obligations to the paper and trying to show off with the crusade and having it blow up in his face and having him have to suffer the loss of Mare to another paper and then redeem himself through winning her respect back. So that was sort of a shape for the season.
MICHAEL KOMAN: Our goal is always to combine a newspaper story with an emotional story, and the show is following what’s happening between these people. So, to know how much work Ned has put in over the course of the season to what ultimately becomes his article about the Glass Club, and for him to be able to give that to Mare in a way, or to at least make sure that she was included in that, to me, these are the two things that are the most special to him: to have a piece of journalism that the paper can actually be proud of and to do it with this person, who is so meaningful to him.
Domhnall [Gleeson] did say he feels like he wanted to have a throuple [laughs], like Ned wants to have the paper and then Mare and him all co-exist.
KOMAN: I think it was really hard for him all season to balance these things. I think he thought it would be easy, and I think he was trying to find some way at the end to create some kind of balance.
Daniels Explains Nicole’s Season 2 Breakdown in ‘The Paper’
“She’s someone who’s trying to plan her life… and she finds out that you can’t do that.”
Image via John P. Fleenor/Peacock
I do have to ask about Nicole, because she has one of the wildest trajectories this season. She loses her best friend, Mare, things fall apart between her and Detrick, and then she becomes fixated on Lisa. What is actually happening underneath all that for Nicole? Is that meant to be her hitting rock bottom, or maybe losing control of things, or trying to create control for herself?
DANIELS: I think what happened was it’s sort of rooted in Season 1, where she entered into a relationship with Detrick and told herself that she had no feelings for him, and dumped him, and then realized afterwards that she had a lot of feelings for him, and she hadn’t been aware of them. I think that she’s just kind of processing that. She’s also trying to do well at work and get out from under Esmeralda’s thumb, and at one point she’s successfully doing that, and then she isn’t.
KOMAN: I think she’s someone who’s trying to plan her life and by controlling her emotions if they’re inconvenient for her, and she finds out that you can’t do that.
‘The Paper’ Season 2 Nearly Featured an Even Bigger ‘Office’ Reunion
“We kind of like these little Easter eggs that just remind you of it without trying to take over.”
Image via John P. Fleenor/Peacock
I do love that Oscar also keeps checking in with Kevin throughout the season. I’m wondering, was that always intended as a little connective tissue back to his world, and would we ever maybe see Kevin visit Ohio? I know he’s a bartender, but he travels. I’m sure he does.
DANIELS: It’s interesting, at one point, we had a whole scene where Oscar is on the phone. They call him for help, and it’s over the weekend, and he’s like, “I’m sorry. I’m halfway to Pennsylvania.” And he turns around, and he’s met Angela and Kevin for a little birthday party at a restaurant. I don’t know, it just felt kind of unnecessary to the story, like it would grab too much attention. So, we kind of like these little Easter eggs that just remind you of it without trying to take over, kind of.
How ‘The Paper’ Season 2 Landed Jon Lovitz, Andy Richter and Andy Daly
“Why don’t we get the real Jon Lovitz? Let’s not fool around.”
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