Debapriya Bhattacharya
Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, ‘The Paper’ is a mockumentary sitcom that follows the functioning of a newspaper company in Toledo, Ohio. Called the Toledo Truth-Teller, the newspaper has a rich legacy that has fallen into tough times. The staff does not have any relevant experience with journalism and comes up with uninspiring articles. Things have gotten to the point that the parent company has started getting better at making toilet paper and seat covers rather than bringing out a quality newspaper. To turn the situation around, Ned Sampson (Domhnall Gleeson) steps in as the new editor-in-chief. A warm and optimistic person, he seeks to make the best of the situation that he finds himself in, despite how bleak everything appears.
The Peacock series serves as a spin-off to ‘The Office,’ a mockumentary that revolves around the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. Apart from being set in the same universe, ‘The Paper’ and ‘The Office’ (US) are narratively linked by the same documentary crew. The former also marks the return of Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez), an accountant who once worked at Dunder Mifflin. Since the show involves the daily work lives of employees, most of the scenes take place inside the office, with a few outdoor sequences.
The Paper Filming Locations
While ‘The Paper’ is set in the Midwestern city of Toledo, Ohio, the production took place in Los Angeles, California. Principal photography for the series seemingly began in mid-2024 and wrapped up by the end of the same year. Incidentally, the first season of ‘The Office,’ of which ‘The Paper’ is a spin-off, was filmed in an actual office space in Culver City, California. It was in the second season that Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch was created at the Chandler Valley Center Studios in Van Nuys, Los Angeles.
Los Angeles, California
All indoor and outdoor sequences of ‘The Paper’ were captured in a studio set at Universal Studios Hollywood, located at 100 Universal City Plaza in Universal City. The area is within the county of Los Angeles, but is divided between the Los Angeles city limits and an unincorporated community. With the show being predominantly set indoors, it stands to reason that the makers decided to make use of the amenities available in the well-established studio rather than build everything from scratch on site. Reports suggest that the production toured a number of newsrooms in the Midwest to recreate a similar setting and vibe in the made-up office of the Toledo Truth-Teller.
As one of the oldest and most popular active Hollywood film studios, Universal Studios Hollywood has been the setting of innumerable sitcoms over the years. Some of the shows that have been filmed in the lot include ‘Seinfeld,’ ‘The Good Place,’ ‘Superstore,’ ‘The Mindy Project,’ ‘Desperate Housewives,’ and ‘Never Have I Ever,’ among others. ‘The Office’ stars Steve Carell and John Krasinski reportedly dropped in at the set of ‘The Paper’ to give the actors their best when filming began. In an interview with Variety, ‘The Paper’ star Sabrina Impacciatore shared, “No makeup yet. We (the actors) are very anxious. Like, oh my God, we’re so scared. And then we hear knock, knock. Someone enters the trailer, and it’s Steve Carell and John Krasinski! We’re fainting. Like, what? Can you imagine? Isn’t it crazy? The first day of shooting!”
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