Few shows have had a cultural footprint like “The Office.” The hit comedy series, which launched the careers of Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Mindy Kaling, and others, ran from 2005 to 2013, earning five Emmys and 42 nominations. Despite the series finale airing more than 10 years ago, the NBC workplace comedy is still one of the most-watched series thanks to its constant rotation on streaming services. (It first landed on Netflix and now lives on Peacock, its exclusive home since 2021.)
It’s not surprising executives are looking to scratch that “Office” itch with something new. After multiple failed reboot and spinoff attempts, a revival series, titled “The Paper” from original showrunner Greg Daniels is set to premiere on Peacock this September.
Here is everything we know about “The Office” revival, “The Paper,” including who is starring in the new series.
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Not to be confused with Prime Video’s Australian reboot of “The Office,” this revival is coming to Peacock. The new take on the series will move the story from its original setting to a struggling newspaper that exists in the same world. As described by Peacock (via Deadline): “The documentary crew that immortalized Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch is in search of a new subject when they discover a dying historic Midwestern newspaper and the publisher trying to revive it with volunteer reporters."
“It’s been more than ten years since the final episode of The Office aired on NBC, and the acclaimed comedy series continues to gain popularity and build new generations of fans on Peacock,” said Lisa Katz, president of NBCUniversal Entertainment, in a statement. “In partnership with Universal Television and led by the creative team of Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, this new series set in the universe of Dunder Mifflin introduces a new cast of characters in a fresh setting ripe for comedic storytelling: a daily newspaper.”
“The Paper”: Credit: Aaron Epstein/PEACOCK
What was the story of the original "Office"?
Based on the U.K. series of the same name created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the American adaptation of “The Office” takes place in Scranton, Pennsylvania’s Dunder Mifflin. The show depicts the everyday lives of the fictional paper company’s employees, from its contractors and warehouse workers to its inept but inherently lovable boss, Michael Scott (played by Carell).
Opposite Carell, the workplace comedy was driven by its ensemble cast, which starred Krasinski, Kaling, Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson, B.J. Novak, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery, Angela Kinsey, Oscar Nuñez, Phyllis Smith, Paul Lieberstein, Creed Bratton, Craig Robinson, and David Denman. Other additions throughout the series’ run included Ellie Kemper, Idris Elba, Amy Ryan, Rashida Jones, Catherine Tate, Will Ferrell, Ed Helms, and James Spader, the latter four all playing short-term replacements for Scott after Carell departed the series at the end of Season 7.
While “The Office” had a rough start, receiving mixed reviews during its first season, the series has become one of NBC’s most beloved and influential shows. It also helped launch the mockumentary-style genre, leading to the success of other comedies, including “Modern Family,” “Parks and Recreation” (also created by Daniels), “What We Do in the Shadows,” “Cunk On Earth,” and “Abbott Elementary.”
In January of 2024, the Hollywood Reporter revealed that Daniels and “Nathan for You” co-creator Michael Koman were assembling a writers’ room for a new take on “The Office.” A few months later, Peacock officially ordered the revival to series, with production kicking off in July of 2024.
This is the latest in a long line of attempted reimaginings and reboots of the series. In 2008, a spinoff was announced that would involve a copy machine being shipped to another office in Pawnee, Indiana. That concept eventually became a separate series, “Parks and Recreation.” Two more spinoff announcements came in 2012 and 2020, centering on Dwight Schrute’s bed-and-breakfast beet (B&B&B) farm and now-retired Stanley Hudson’s flower shop, respectively. Both pitches eventually fell through. TVLine also reported in 2017 that the network was developing a revival involving a mix of old and new characters at Dunder Mifflin. That process also stalled.
After NBCUniversal reacquired the series’ exclusive rights in 2021, the plan, according to vice chairman Bonnie Hammer, was to get a reboot off the ground with the new streamer. NBCU content chief Susan Rovner echoed those goals later in the year during the Edinburgh International TV Festival, stating they were all “standing by” for “whenever [Daniels] wants to do one.”
Two years later, in a newsletter about Hollywood’s post-WGA strike reality, Puck journalists Matthew Belloni and Jonathan Handel confirmed Daniels was working on a reboot of “The Office.”
Daniels has regularly discussed his thoughts regarding a potential reboot over the years, having previously toyed with the idea of filming lost episodes that didn’t appear in the original seasons. But the showrunner has since stated he has no interest in doing “a complete do-over”:
“I feel like we ended that story beautifully,” he told the Wrap. “The characters had closure. I would never want to redo that same show with a different cast, because I think we got the luckiest cast, the best cast ever, in TV, to do that show. So, the notion of a reboot is not of interest.”
However, since confirmation of the new series’ development, Daniels has said he wants to build a story in the same universe. He compared his vision to what Disney+’s “The Mandalorian” does for the “Star Wars” franchise.
Kathy Hutchins/Tinseltown/Shutterstock
Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore were the first cast members to join the series. Impacciatore was a breakout star on Season 2 of HBO’s “The White Lotus,” earning an Emmy nomination for Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Gleeson has most recently appeared on Channel 4’s “Alice & Jack,” HBO’s political miniseries “White House Plumbers,” and the bone-chilling psychological FX thriller “The Patient” opposite Carell. (He’ll also star next in Apple TV+’s “Fountain of Youth” with Krasinski.) Details on both of the roles are being kept under wraps, as are the plot details of the new storyline.
Following the news of Gleeson and Impacciator, Deadline confirmed that original cast member Oscar Nuñez will be reprising the role of Oscar Martinez for the Peacock series.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Nuñez talked about reprising the role at NBCUniversal’s upfront presentation to advertisers in May 2025.
“Greg heard me and moved Oscar to Toledo, Ohio, which has three times the population of Scranton,” Nuñez said. “So it’s nice to be heard.”
Other cast members for “The Paper” include Melvin Gregg (“American Vandal,”), Chelsea Frei (“Poker Face,”) and Ramona Young (“Never Have I Ever,”), Gbemisola Ikumelo (“Black Ops”), Alex Edelman (“Alex Edelman: Just for Us”), and Tim Key (“The Ballad of Wallis Island).
Will Steve Carell return for "The Office" revival?
Unfortunately for fans, Carell doesn’t have plans to join the follow-up series. “I will be watching, but I will not be showing up,” he told “The Hollywood Reporter.” It’s just a new thing, and there’s really no reason for my character [Michael Scott] to show up in something like that. But I’m excited about it, it sounds like a great conceit. I love the idea—I guess it’s set in a failing newspaper company, and I worked with Domhnall Gleeson, who is one of the leads; I did [the thriller series] “The Patient” with him, and he’s an excellent actor and a super nice guy so I think it’ll be great.”
While it’s still unclear if anyone other than Nuñez from the original cast will appear in the new series in either regular or guest roles (and some, like Fischer, have confirmed they haven’t been approached), Melora Hardin, who played Jan Levinson, recently told the Sun she would “certainly show up” for whatever comes next, be it the new series or a potential movie, adding, “I think we could bring everybody back for that.”
Filming for "The Paper" took place in July 2024. In an interview with Today, Nuñez revealed that "The Paper" is currently in the editing process.
A casting director for “The Office” revival hasn’t been announced. Veteran TV and comedy casting director Allison Jones was the CD for the original series. She also worked on “Parks and Recreation,” “What We Do in the Shadows,” and “White House Plumbers,” as well as another Gleeson-led project, HBO’s 2020 thriller “Run.”
Even if she doesn’t continue with the new series, her advice for how she finds new comedic talent is something to keep in mind.
“When I started out, I used to watch every ‘Law & Order’ show so I could learn New York actors,” says Jones. “Now I just watch everything, and you can track [talent] down on the internet…the streaming stuff, the stuff on YouTube, the stuff on Funny or Die. There are millions of places to look.
“It has always been, and it always will be, legwork, I think. Just doing your homework and watching as much TV as you can and seeing who was that guy who delivered that line. We do it on commercials, too. We see someone we like on a commercial and have to track them down. When I need to find a certain group of people, we learn a certain group of people.”
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