I'm not sure if I've ever seen a TV comedy start so badly and then get good so quickly. The Paper, as you probably know by now, is a sort-of-spin-off of the American version of The Office. The action here is in Toledo, Ohio and follows the fortunes of the local newspaper, the Toledo Truth Teller, and it's oddball collection of staff.
The first half of the first episode though is one of the most sluggish intros in my recent TV memory. I know you have to introduce brand new characters but it just doesn't really work here. Maybe part of the problem is that, by the very nature of the job, we are watching people cutting and pasting and staring and screens. Not very sexy. The only person whose legs we seem to see in the first few minutes is Tim Key's Ken. His character is pretty easy to grasp as he's a slight variant on the jokey/annoying David Brent.
Elsewhere the biggest character is Esmerelda Grand (Sabrina Impacciatore) who has a modern attitude to newspapers. Her idea of a big story is “You Won’t Believe How Much Ben Affleck Tipped His Limo Driver”. Then there's Alex Edelman as nice but dim Adam, and Britcom name Gbemisola Ikumelo’s as dreamy Adelola. Oscar Nunez from the original US Office returns as accountant Oscar Martinez, but having seen what docs are like he does his best to avoid the camera. There's also feisty Mare, played by Chelsea Frei, who may turn out to be the breakout star of the show.
And then just as I was about to give up, new editor editor Ned arrives, played by Domhnall Gleeson. He comes from the toilet paper industry but has always dreamt of being a newspaper man and he is determined to revive the fortunes of the Truth Teller. He's got a genuine energy onscreen, but can he energise this series?
By the end of episode one I was won over but maybe I'm biased. The first episode ends with Ned going down to the dusty printing room and we see clips of the newsroom at the height of its powers in the 1970s. This is how I remember newspapers when I first worked for them. A hive of industry and a heck of a lot of staff with their sleeves rolled up. Remember the TV series Lou Grant,? It looks like that.
Can Ned and the new team he puts together from this ragbag of misfits revive the Toledo Truth Teller? And more importantly for viewers will it be worth watching him try? I'll certainly give him a few more episodes, but if you aren't interested in journalism it may be touch and go.
Streaming on Sky Max and Now now.
Picture: Sky
