Spoilers ahead for the series premiere of The Paper if you're watching on NBC for the first time, also available streaming now with a Peacock subscription.
The Paper premiered in the 2025 TV schedule as the long-awaited spinoff of The Office... sort of. Creator Greg Daniels and Co. set the new mockumentary in the same world as Dunder Mifflin, but the ties between the series are relatively few and far between with the exception of one star. While the NBC premiere wasn't until November 10, all ten episodes premiered in early September on Peacock, so the show has technically been available for streamers for more than two months now.
I didn't check out the first episode until the NBC premiere, and my feelings are mixed to the point that I need to see what was cut from the original version before I plan on watching weekly... because a LOT was likely cut.
My Thoughts On The Paper Pilot
I'd originally intended to stream The Paper when it released, especially after NBC went all-out on promoting the new show during primetime broadcasts of America's Got Talent. That said, time got away from me, and that constant promotion on NBC meant that I heard Esmerelda's "self-defecation" joke so many times that I lost some of my motivation to watch ASAP.
But I heard good things from my coworkers, aside from one especially disgusting part of the show, so I figured I'd tune in once it made its network debut after one of my favorite network comedies that I'd be watching anyway: St. Denis Medical.
And I enjoyed the pilot for the most part. The cast seems solid, and I laughed out loud at the card that debunked Oscar's claim that he could refuse to let the documentarians to use his likeness because he'd signed a permanent release back in his Dunder Mifflin days.
But I felt like the climax with Ned climbing on a desk was supposed to pack more of a punch than it did, and based on a conversation with a colleague, there were a few moments that I was expecting that just didn't happen. The episode was enjoyable enough that I'm glad I stayed tuned in to NBC after St. Denis Medical, but I'm not 100% sure I'll keep tuning in. That depends on what I see with my Peacock subscription.
What Was Cut From The Original Version?
By checking The Paper's page on Peacock, I discovered the the length of the pilot is listed as 32 minutes. The average length of a network TV sitcom (without commercial breaks) comes out to about 22 minutes, give or take. In fact, upon checking The Office's page on the streamer, that show's pilot maxes out at 23 minutes.
All of this is to say that NBC presumably had to cut around ten minutes of comedy from the original version that released on Peacock, which I have to imagine led to some jokes being lost to viewers who are watching on broadcast rather than binge-watched a couple of months ago. What felt rushed and not particularly in-depth to me in the 22-ish minute episode that aired on November 10 might feel much more whole at 32 minutes, and I think I'm going to need to watch it before I decide how I really feel about The Paper.
It's worth noting that the cuts presumably aren't going to be unique to the pilot in going from streamer to NBC. The shortest episode on Peacock is listed at 26 minutes, while the longest other than the pilot clock in at 30 minutes. Cuts are going to have to be made, and unlike Law & Order: Organized Crime going from Peacock to NBC, I have to assume that edits for The Paper are more complicated than cutting F-bombs and graphic violence.
If you're ready to keep tuning in (with or without watching the full versions of episodes on Peacock), you can find The Paper streaming on Mondays at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC, following St. Denis Medical. The network will have three mockumentaries in primetime this year, with the cheerleading sitcom Stumble now joining Reba McEntire's Happy's Place Season 2 on Friday nights.