The Office spin-off's star says his character is not like Ricky Gervais and Steve Carrell's iconic roles: "I hope people will find a reason to love him as well"

Michael Scott is not coming back, but The Office spin-off's star Domhnall Gleeson hopes "people will find a reason to love" his character as well. The actor plays the lead role in the upcoming show The Paper, co-created by Greg Daniels (the OG The Office creator) that is set to debut in September.

As a documentary-style comedy series set in the same universe as the original show, comparisons between The Office and The Paper are inevitable, but Gleeson is already getting ahead of them.

"I don't think my character is like Michael Scott at alI," he told People during a recent interview, setting his character Ned and Steve Carell's lovable boss apart. "I think if you're trying to compete with what Steve did or with what Ricky Gervais did, I think it would be a massive mistake," Gleeson said, also mentioning Gervais, who starred in the original The Office in the UK.

"They are geniuses who are incredible in loads of different ways. We made a whole new character. And it's a whole new sort of set up, but I hope people will find a reason to love him as well, just in a different way than they did the guys before," he added.

The Paper follows a group of reporters and their publisher trying to revive a dying Midwestern newspaper. Along with Gleeson, the cast includes names like Sabrina Impacciatore (The White Lotus), Melvin Gregg (American Vandal), Ramona Young (Never Have I Ever) and The Office star Oscar Nuñez, who is set to reprise his role as Oscar Martinez,

Before we get to see him in this anticipated spin-off, Gleeson stars alongside Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney in Apple TV Plus' mystery series Echo Valley, which premieres this Friday.

The Paper is set to debut in September 2025. For more, check out our list of the best new TV shows coming in 2025 and beyond.