The Office spin-off The Paper debuts to a higher Rotten Tomatoes score than the original show, but has left critics divided

After over a decade of The Office US being off our television screens, new spin-off series The Paper is almost here, and most critics are surprisingly loving the show.

Despite viewers having to wait a little longer to see the new mockumentary, critics have already watched The Paper, and the show has debuted to an impressive 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is 4 points higher than The Office's average score of 81%.

Many are celebrating the fresh sitcom, as Ross McIndoe from Slant Magazine said, "The series finds the right balance of mellow, character-driven comedy and broader antics." Dexerto's Cameron Frew calls The Paper, "A sitcom that’s not only worthy of its beloved predecessor, but it has the potential to become a cozy, long-running favorite; Dundie-worthy, even."

However, not everyone is a fan, as Inkoo Kang from The New Yorker writes, "The Paper’s torpor exemplifies the pacing crisis of the streaming era," and Nick Schager from The Daily Beast similarly said, "Playing it safe and familiar, however, is a recipe for mediocrity, as Daniels’ latest is a likeable enough half-hour affair that, at least in its maiden season, fails to find its own voice."

It is important to note that even though The Paper sits at a higher score than The Office, many seasons of The Office surpass 85%, with seasons 2, 3, and 5 reaching 100%. It seems that season 8, which sits at a measly 44%, is bringing the average down.

Set in the same world as The Office, The Paper follows the same fictional camera crew from the original series as they move from Dunder Mifflin in Scranton to a Midwestern newspaper in Toledo. There, they find the stars of their new mockumentary, the workers behind the Toledo Truth-Teller, led by a publisher desperately trying to bring the newspaper back to life.

The Paper is written by The Office's Greg Daniels, and stars About Time's Domhnall Gleeson, The White Lotus season 2's Sabrina Impacciatore, Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young, Tim Key, and The Office's very own accountant, Oscar Nuñez.

Despite the mixed reviews, Peacock has already renewed The Paper for a second season.

The Paper premieres on Peacock in the US on September 4 with four episodes. All episodes of The Paper drop on September 5 on Sky and NOW in the UK. For more, check out our list of the best sitcoms, and keep up with new TV shows coming in 2025 and beyond.