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Stars of Peacock's New Mockumentary Set in The Office Universe Visit Real-Life Local Newspaper to Learn the Job
STOP THE PRESSES! We have news, The Office fans!
The printing presses are officially warming up for Peacock's forthcoming newspaper-centric mockumentary hailing from the duo of Greg Daniels (mastermind behind the American version of The Office) and Michael Koman (co-creator of Nathan for You).
Set in the same quirky universe as Dunder Mifflin, the new series — rumored to be titled "The Paper" — has added Chelsea Frei (Poker Face), Melvin Gregg (Snowfall), and Ramona Young (Santa Clarita Diet) to the growing cast, which already included Domhnall Gleeson (Star Wars) and Sabrina Impacciatore (The White Lotus) in the lead roles.
RELATED: Dwight's Greatest Prank on The Office Was Never Actually Revealed - Here's What Happened
Cast members from Peacock's Office-style series shadow California journalists
In their preparation to make headlines, Frei, Gregg, and Young shadowed real journalists at the Palisadian-Post, a nearly 100-year-old newspaper in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. According to the publication, all three actors learned about "ad sales, circulation, reporting and graphic design to gain a deeper understanding of the inner-workings of a local publication."
Announced in May of this year, the currently-untitled project will follow the day-to-day operations of a dying, yet historic, paper in midwestern America. Its only shot at staying in circulation is to recruit a number of volunteer reporters. Given that the show takes place in the same world as The Office, we wouldn't be surprised if this local rag has its reams of office paper supplied by the good folks at Dunder Mifflin.
“It’s been more than 10 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,” Lisa Katz, President, NBCUniversal Entertainment, said in a statement at the time. "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."
Both Daniels and Koman are executive producers along with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (co-creators of the original version of The Office from the United Kingdom), Howard Klein, Ben Silverman, and Banijay Americas.
RELATED: The Office's Hysterical Olympics Episode Deserves a Gold Medal
When will the new series set in The Office universe premiere on Peacock?
Peacock has yet to announce a premiere date for the series. Be sure to check with NBC Insider for regular updates!
What have original Office cast members said about the new show?
Members from the original Office cast who have publicly commented on the upcoming show have said nothing but nice things.
Steve Carell, known for playing the beloved character Michael Scott, is all for Daniels’ new project. However, he’s said fans shouldn’t expect to see him appear as Michael.
“I will be watching, but I will not be showing up,” he explained to The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s just a new thing and there’s really no reason for my character to show up in something like that. But I’m excited about it, it sounds like a great concept."
Carell also proudly passed the torch to Gleeson. “I did The Patient with him, and he’s an excellent actor and a super nice guy, so I think it’ll be great.”
Despite Carell’s hesitancy to return, several other original Office cast members have already shared that they would be thrilled to come back in some way.
Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight Schrute in the original series, has already put his name down for a possible return, telling CinemaBlend: “Yeah, I don't see how Dwight goes from Scranton to wherever they're shooting it in the Midwest. But, you know, If Greg [Daniels] wants me to do something, I'm happy to do something.”
John Krasinski, who played Jim Halpert for all nine seasons, had a similar reaction, telling ET that he would “do anything for [the Office creator and the remake’s co-creator] Greg Daniels”
How to watch the original episodes of The Office
All nine seasons of The Office are streaming exclusively on Peacock. Seasons 1-7 of the extended Superfan episodes are also available.
The NBCUniversal platform offers two monthly subscription plans: Premium ($7.99 a month with ads) and Premium Plus ($13.99 a month with no ads and download access for certain titles). If you're a student, you can enjoy the Premium plan for just $1.99 for an entire year!
Originally published Sep 10, 2024.
