‘The Paper’ Season 2 review: The Peacock series remains in the shadows of its predecessor

The Paper returns for a second season on September 9 that is as easy to watch as it is frustratingly fine.

If there were ever a case for streaming services to adopt the 22+ episode season format they destroyed when network television became less prominent, it would be The Paper. The Peacock series does not need to become another The Office, but ten episodes leaves surprisingly little room for a show with such a large ensemble. Its second season continues to establish an identity of its own, even if it struggles to balance its characters and storylines within the constraints of the streaming format.

That is not necessarily a problem for the season’s central relationship. Ned (Domhnall Gleeson) and Mare (Chelsea Frei) finally act on the chemistry that has been building between them, beginning a secret relationship that quickly becomes less secret than either of them realizes. They are terrible at hiding it, whether they are inventing excuses to avoid the weekend edition or standing so close together on a video call that everyone can see exactly what is going on.

There is something inherently enjoyable about watching Ned and Mare together even if the show does not quite give their relationship the weight of Jim and Pam or even Michael and Holly despite the screen time the pair receive. Gleeson and Frei have good chemistry, but the relationship lacks the slow-burn nature of those sitcom will-they-won’t-they relationships that came before them. The Paper gets them together and moves them forward – though there is plenty of doubt and uncertainty on both sides – with little fanfare or fallout.

The Paper Season 2 gives the Toledo Truth Teller more to investigate, but plays it safe.

The newspaper itself also becomes more important in Season 2. Following its success at the Ohio Journalism Awards, Ned wants to put more money into the Truth Teller, asking Marv (Allan Havey) for $100,000 to cover overtime and new laptops. Unsurprisingly, he is turned down, much to Ned’s dismay.

That conflict eventually develops into something more substantial when Ned and his colleagues begin investigating a possible murder cover-up involving powerful advertisers. You would think that the storyline would give the season more purpose, allowing The Paper Season 2 to explore the difficulties of running a newspaper when an editor’s morals and journalistic integrity come into conflict with the best interests of those funding them. Unfortunately, it is rather tame in its depiction. Where the series should go for the jugular, it plays it safe – a theme so common the series becomes a victim of its own half-baked ideas.

Much like many of the storylines in The Paper, this one does not quite reach its potential. Perhaps we expect too much from the modern sitcom, but with NBCUniversal finding success with St. Denis Medical and Happy’s Place on NBC, The Paper sometimes feels like an overly cautious effort, hoping its connection to The Office will carry it to success. Season 1 arrived with little fanfare, and Season 2 feels similarly destined to exist without making much of an impact.

Esmeralda remains one of the season’s funniest characters, but the ensemble falters.

If Ned and Mare provide the season with its emotional center, Esmeralda (Sabrina Impacciatore) provides much of its comedy. Impacciatore remains the star of the series, though the show still does not seem to know how to use her beyond giving her increasingly ridiculous situations to play, turning Esmeralda into a caricature. Whether she is dramatically mourning a colleague she hardly knew, making up years of missed HR training, or pretending to be a schoolboy to investigate prejudice against her son, she consistently gets the biggest laughs. Whether the audience is meant to laugh at her rather than with her is a different question entirely, and one the series handles awkwardly from start to finish.

Another problem is how inconsistently the show uses the rest of its ensemble. Tim Key returns and makes an immediate impression as Ken – and his comedic chemistry with Impacciatore is strong enough to make a future Esmeralda-Ken pairing feel like an obvious next step – only for his involvement to become increasingly limited as the season progresses. Characters who should have more to do are therefore repeatedly pushed to the sidelines.

Nicole (Ramona Young) and Detrick (Melvin Gregg), in particular, have an interesting dynamic that the show seems reluctant to explore, keeping them apart for much of the season rather than allowing their relationship to develop into a meaningful storyline. Detrick works particularly well alongside Travis (Eric Rahill), but that friendship also highlights how much more the show could do with its supporting characters. Barry suffers from the same problem. Duane R. Shepard Sr. gets funny lines, but the season never gives him a storyline that makes him feel essential to the ensemble.

The Paper is still not The Office – and that is both a good and bad thing.

Despite its origins, the series continues to avoid feeling like a direct attempt to recreate Dunder Mifflin. There are similarities in the mockumentary format and workplace setting, but The Paper increasingly feels closer to a sanitized Parks and Recreation than The Office. Its characters embrace broad sitcom personalities, and its stories often revolve around unlikely situations, but there is rarely anything particularly daring underneath the surface. Esmeralda remains its mouthpiece to be ‘out there,’ but even her most outrageous behavior exists within a sitcom that does not want to make itself – or its audience – uncomfortable. The result is a show that is pleasant to watch but rarely leaves much of an impression.

The bottom line.

The Paper Season 2 is enjoyable without being particularly memorable. It has a good cast, a few genuinely funny characters, and an increasingly compelling central relationship in Ned and Mare. Its biggest problem remains its ensemble. Ten episodes do not give everyone enough to do, leaving characters such as Ken and Barry stranded on the sidelines.

There is enough here to justify a third season, particularly if The Paper can become bolder and find a better way to use its cast. For now, though, it remains exactly what its second season suggests it is: a pleasant sitcom that is easy to watch, occasionally laugh-out-loud funny, and frustratingly fine.

The Paper Season 2 is available to stream now on Peacock.

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Images courtesy of Peacock.