Is The Paper woke?
The Paper (2025)
TV Show
Released: January 1, 2025
Wokeness Score
7/10
Strongly Ideological
Woke messaging is very prominent and often feels forced or shoehorned in. Characters and plot are primarily shaped to serve the ideology. Many viewers feel the agenda overshadows the entertainment.
Key Summary Points
- Diverse cast with explicit LGBTQ representation, including Oscar as queer icon and immigrant single-mother character.
- Forced jokes on Pride Month, body shaming, and menstrual cramps lecture scene emphasizing gender perspectives.
- Identity-focused subplots for characters like Esmeralda undermine comedic focus with progressive messaging.
Wokeness Analysis
The Paper (2025) is a mockumentary workplace comedy spin-off of The Office set at a struggling Midwestern newspaper, focusing primarily on reviving local journalism through volunteer reporters and workplace antics in the style of its predecessor. However, it incorporates noticeable progressive elements that feel intentional and occasionally forced. The cast features significant diversity, including Black, Latina, Nigerian-British, Asian-American, and openly gay characters such as returning Oscar Martinez portrayed as a queer icon. Specific episodes include stale jokes about Pride Month and body shaming, as well as a scene where a female character lectures the gay accountant Oscar on menstrual cramps to emphasize female experiences over male ones. The immigrant managing editor Esmeralda is depicted as a single mother facing personal vulnerabilities, adding layers of identity-based commentary. Reviews note a 'woke stench' with these elements shoehorned into the narrative, shifting focus from pure escapism or story to subtle social messaging on inclusion, gender, and sexuality. While the core plot centers on journalism and humor, these themes are prominent enough to dominate certain scenes and alienate viewers seeking unadulterated entertainment, placing it in the heavily ideological range without fully descending into didactic activism.
Plot
The Paper follows the same documentary crew from The Office as they shift focus to the Toledo Truth Teller, a historic but declining newspaper in Ohio owned by a paper products company. New editor-in-chief Ned Sampson (Domhnall Gleeson), a former toilet paper salesman, recruits volunteer reporters from the staff—including brash managing editor Esmeralda (Sabrina Impacciatore), Army veteran Mare (Chelsea Frei), and others—to revive serious local journalism amid clickbait culture. Returning character Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nuñez) works as an accountant. The 10-episode first season, released on Peacock on September 4, 2025, blends mockumentary humor with workplace dynamics, rivalries, and efforts to combat corporate resistance while tackling stories on scams, local issues, and industry decline.