*When the Emmy-winning mockumentary team behind “The Office” turns their cameras on a struggling Midwestern newspaper, you already know it’s going to get messy. Peacock’s new series “The Paper”, premiering September 4, pulls viewers inside a newsroom that’s broke, stubborn, and still fighting to matter in a world ruled by podcasts and TikTok trends.
For Melvin Gregg (Snowfall, American Vandal) and Ramona Young (Never Have I Ever), the chaos isn’t just on screen — it’s in the way their characters juggle jobs, expectations, and what’s left of print journalism.
Young plays Nicole Lee, a circulation staffer who unexpectedly steps into reporting. “Nicole works in circulation at the local newspaper, and eventually, once Ned (Domhnall Gleeson) comes into the picture, she becomes one of the volunteer journalists,” Young explained to EUR. That shift puts her at the center of the newsroom’s growing pains — and in Detrick’s line of sight.
“Detrick Moore” starts as an ad salesman — hustling dollars but banned from mingling with the rest of the staff. “Detrick sells ads, and he’s not really allowed to engage with anybody else in the office,” Gregg said. “So given the opportunity to join the newspaper side and be a reporter, he jumps at it — specifically so he could talk to his crush, Nicole Lee.”
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That combination of ambition and awkward workplace romance is classic mock-doc comedy. But Gregg also pulled it into today’s reality. Asked whether he’d fight harder to save a podcast or a newspaper, he didn’t hesitate.
“I think the newspaper is like a lost art,” Gregg shared. “There’s more integrity in the local newspaper. The thing about a podcast is that anybody could get a podcast set up. They don’t have to have any background in it, any research, or any sources. They could just say anything, and it’d be broadcast to millions of people. So the responsible thing to do would be to save the newspaper.”
That old-school respect for print is exactly why ‘The Paper’ leans into the mockumentary lens, though for Young, it was a challenge.
“It’s definitely not something I’ve ever done before. Usually performers are told not to look into camera, so I had to, just like Nicole, get used to the camera being on them,” she explained. “Knowing when to look at the camera, how to look at it, because if you do it wrong it feels fake — it’s the most complicated part about it.”
Beyond the laughs, both actors connected the show’s themes to culture at large. Young pointed to community.
“In Los Angeles, with all the hustling and being busy, it’s easy to miss saying hi to people on the street or having real relationships with neighbors,” she said. Gregg took it a step deeper.
“There’s just so much media to process — TikTok, social media, streaming. It saturates our ability to focus, to communicate, to have patience,” Gregg said. “I don’t know if having access to everything at the snap of a finger is really for the betterment of mankind.”
Gregg and Young are joined by a heavy-hitting ensemble: Domhnall Gleeson (Ex Machina, About Time), Sabrina Impacciatore (The White Lotus), Chelsea Frei (Poker Face), Gbemisola Ikumelo (A League of Their Own), Tim Key (The Witchfinder), and The Office alum Oscar Nuñez. Guest stars include Tracy Letts, Molly Ephraim, and more. Together, they round out a newsroom that’s dysfunctional, diverse, and just relatable enough to feel like your own workplace.
The Paper premieres September 4 with four episodes on Peacock, followed by two new episodes every Thursday through September 25.
Jill Munroe is a Los Angeles-bred entertainment journalist, producer, and host. Follow her socials @StilettoJill or visit JillMunroe.com. Catch her live M-F on KBLA Talk 1580 from 6PM to 7PM.
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