About “The Paper” in a few words:

Here’s the scoop on the show: The Paper (2025) is a mockumentary-style sitcom and a spin-off of The Office. It lands you in Toledo, Ohio, with the same documentary crew—only now they’re chronicling the ragtag staff of a fading local paper, the Toledo Truth-Teller. You’ve got a fired-up new editor-in-chief, a diva managing editor, accountants, a war vet turned reporter, and more—each one trying to bring this newsroom back from the brink, one awkward moment at a time.

Meet the characters from The Paper

Ned Sampson

Ned is the kind of guy who looks like he stepped out of a thrift-store mystery novel and somehow made it work. He’s endlessly curious, a little obsessive, and will follow a lead down twenty rabbit holes if it means uncovering the truth — and yes, he keeps a notebook full of half-finished theories (and grocery lists). He’s weirdly sentimental about old newspapers and collects paperclips like tiny trophies, which is adorable and also a bit alarming. He swears he hates coffee but has an enormous travel mug that he pretends is tea; also he can be stubborn to the point of charming or annoying you, depending on your tolerance.

Esmeralda Grand

Esmeralda is theatrical but classy, the kind of person who can stop a room without trying — and then make you laugh in the exact next breath. She’s sharp, strategic, and always three steps ahead in any conversation, which makes her a brilliant leader and an infuriating poker player. There’s a softness beneath the flash though, like someone who keeps secret letters in a jewelry box — she smells faintly of jasmine and probably owns too many silk scarves. She’s incredibly organized on paper but her handbag is a black hole of receipts and lipstick, which honestly makes her relatable.

Mare Pritti

Mare feels like sunlight filtered through a messy studio window — warm, creative, and kind of all over the place. She’s the soul of improvisation, brilliant at thinking on her feet but also likely to forget appointments because she started a new side project at midnight. She’s endlessly empathetic and talks to plants like friends (some of them survive, some definitely do not), and she’s annoying in the best way because she genuinely cares. Confusingly, she loves lists but rarely follows them, which is a character trait I can’t decide if it’s chaos or charm.

Detrick Moore

Detrick is gruff and precise, like someone who can read a room and fix the wiring in one breath — stoic but with a hidden playlist of sad songs. He’s an investigative backbone, quietly brilliant and a little tired from carrying everyone else’s drama, yet he’ll surprise you with small, utterly specific acts of kindness. He hates melodrama (vocally) but can be found crying during commercials when no one’s around — chips and salsa as emotional armor? maybe. He’s a rule-follower who also has a surprisingly extensive tattoo collection that contradicts everything he says about “staying conventional.”

Adelola Olofin

Adelola is fierce, brilliant, community-first energy — activist heart with a scientist’s brain, always three steps into the future and dragging the rest of us along. She organizes with a terrifying efficiency that somehow feels like a warm hug, and she can make a spreadsheet that reads like poetry; also she loses her keys weekly, which is how she stays humble. She’s proud, compassionate, and will argue you into understanding systemic problems while also making you tea and giving you a band-aid. Fun fact: she cooks on the weekend and insists she hates spicy food but will breathe fire into a stew when you’re not looking.

Adam Cooper

Adam is the charming tech-whiz who knows exactly how to fix your laptop and how to break into a smile that makes you trust him immediately. He’s playful, a prankster with a soft center — loves gadgets, late-night coding, and terrible puns that somehow land just often enough. He collects fountain pens for reasons he can’t explain (nostalgia? aesthetics?), yet all his notes are on a tablet, which is peak Adam. He’s reliably unreliable in the best way: shows up when it matters, forgot to RSVP to your party, but remembered your birthday because he set five alarms.