The Paper Season 2 Review: The Toledo Truth Teller Is Funnier Than Ever

This article contains spoilers.

The Paper is back for Season 2 with more laughs, more romance, and even more office tension. After ending last season with a bang, The Toledo Truth Teller sweeping the Toledo Journalism Awards and Ned and Mare kicking off an office romance, we had plenty to look forward to this season.

One thing The Paper has completely nailed is simple comedy. You don’t always need a grand comedic gesture to make an audience laugh, and characters like Barry and Travis have the ability to deliver a one-liner and completely steal a scene. Season 2 also gave us more character development and a chance to see our office staff grow. I especially enjoyed getting a deeper look into characters like Travis, Adeola, and Barry, with glimpses into their lives outside of the office. In fact, one of my favorite episodes of the season was the stakeout episode where we got to see Captain Barry’s nautical-themed apartment. I was eager to learn more about the ensemble characters, and they definitely delivered.

The show also has wonderful ensemble work that really does reminisce of The Office without feeling like a copycat. There are those golden moments where everyone is sitting in a staff meeting, pitching ideas back and forth, and you can really see how well the cast builds off one another. You truly believe they are coworkers, or at least people you have worked with in the past.

When it comes to the romance, we got to see more of Ned and Mare’s relationship, and hot take: I wasn’t a huge fan of the two of them together. While I think they could be great together in later seasons, I feel like both characters need to focus on their careers and themselves a little more before diving headfirst into a relationship.

Of course, we also got a little fake dating thrown into the mix. Esmeralda is easily one of the best characters on the show. Whether you love or hate her obnoxiousness, she’s guaranteed to make you laugh. Her fake-dating scheme with Ken had me begging for the two of them to make things real. They have such great chemistry that, no matter what scheme they’re cooking up, they’re always fun to watch. Sure, they’re both a little selfish, but I think that’s exactly why they might be perfect for each other. The writers are exploring romance from every angle, and I can’t wait to see how it all plays out.

I believe The Paper has a long life ahead of it if it continues at the pace it’s going. I’m looking forward to more office antics next season, along with uncovering even more of Toledo’s scandals. NBC really struck gold with this dynamic cast, and I hope we get to see much more of them.