This new TV show gave me an existential crisis – but I want more

I’m often asked how I got into journalism, and there are two answers to that question. 

The first is that I have an inflated sense of self-importance courtesy of a private education – why else would I start a TV review with a long-winded story about myself?  

As for the second reason? Well, I’ve always been slightly averse to the mundane. 

I know that’s an awfully arrogant thing to write (I have the aforementioned private schooling to thank for that particular character flaw). Still, the idea of working a ‘normal’ job never really appealed to me.  

If the working world is a buffet table, why settle for the wilting salad of accountancy when the pavlova of the media world is right there?  

Of course, what I’ve learned during my 10 years of stuffing myself with metaphorical meringue and jam is that salad’s probably better for you in the long run.  

Journalism jobs and other roles in the media in general may seem glitzy and glamorous, but all that glitters is not gold. 

The job can often be underpaid, the hours long and surprisingly antisocial, not to mention the ever-present sense of dread around declining readership both in print and online, thanks to the ‘social media-fication’ of news. 

In short, it’s just like most office jobs – with the only real difference being I bet I have more Disney-branded tote bags than you do (Cheers Mickey).  

It’s perhaps unsurprising then that I find myself rather conflicted over The Paper – a new show that’s a quasi-spin-off from The US Office.  

Like The Office (both the UK and US versions), The Paper is a mockumentary that delights in poking fun at the absurdity of the working world.  

Yet while those shows were focused on the dreary world of a paper merchant, this new show is set in a US newsroom and follows a team of weary journalists as they try to revitalise a local paper, The Toledo Truth-Teller, under the leadership of a new, enthusiastic Editor.

Basically, this time journalists are the butt of the joke, and to paraphrase Michael Scott: ‘No, don’t like that’. 

Okay, that’s not exactly true. I found The Paper rather charming if not exactly gut-bustlingly funny.

The characters are likeable enough – especially Domhnall Gleeson’s and Chelsea Frei’s characters, Editor in-Chief Ned and Reporter Mae, who form a lovely double act.  

Sabrina Impacciatore’s Esmeralda Grand — the paper’s former managing editor — is also a delightfully eccentric presence reminiscent of Green Wing’s certifiably insane Sue White (Michelle Gomez).

Although Esmeralda never turns up to work dressed as a giant squirrel, she still manages to be somehow more unhinged. 

Tim Key also deserves some praise for playing the corporate strategist Ken.

The man’s an expert in sad-sackery after a decade or so of playing Alan Partridge’s put-upon sidekick Simon, and he definitely brings a more cynical edge, more reminiscent of the original UK office, to an otherwise quite sweet sitcom.  

It’s also comforting, in an odd sort of way, to see the return of the mockumentary format.  

My TV tastes were forged in the crucible of the 2000s, when shows like The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Modern Family were at their peak. 

As a result, I’ve always had a certain fondness for the genre, and seeing it return was akin to the feeling you get when you meet up with an old friend without skipping a beat.  

It helps that at its best, The Paper captures the same heartwarming tone The Office did – like when Dwight comforted a distraught Pam or when Michael finally found love — as they slowly turn the Truth Teller’s fortunes around.

Yet for as much as I enjoyed The Paper, the series left a strange taste in my mouth (no, we’re not going back to the pavlova metaphor).  

Why? Well, the series does a wonderful job at capturing the malaise affecting my chosen field so effectively that, as a journalist, at times, it was a bit depressing to watch. 

There are jokes about the banality of some listicles, insipid news stories, and the toxicity of social media that, while not exactly part of my day-to-day at Metro, have definitely been conversations I’ve had in earlier newsrooms.  

So, seeing my job, one I took to escape the threat of the mundane, so effectively skewered as a boring office job, did give me something of an existential crisis.  

Honestly, watching the show at times felt a little morbid, like I was laughing at the jokes at a wake without realising I was at my own funeral. 

It certainly doesn’t help that every episode opens with a montage of various papers being used for everything but reading… 

 Still with that in mind, I did enjoy The Paper, and I hope we get a second season.  

Too often these days shows aren’t given a chance to prove themselves – think how bad the first seasons of Parks and Rec or The US Office were – and I think I’d like to see another edition from the Toledo Truth-Teller. 

(This review was written before it was announced that The Paper had been renewed for a second season… so I got what I wanted, I guess)

All episodes of The Paper will be available on Sky and streaming service NOW on 5th September.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.