Posted in: NBC, Peacock, TV | Tagged: greg daniels, the office, The Paper

The Paper: Daniels on Needing to Distinguish Spinoff from "The Office"

The Paper co-creator Greg Daniels discusses the importance of distinguishing the Peacock spinoff from NBC's original series, The Office.

When Greg Daniels signed on to create The Paper with Michael Koman for Peacock, he wanted to adhere to the delicate process of creating an authentic experience with the Domhnall Gleeson-starred series with a kill switch in case development didn't pan out. Luckily, that foundation was secured with the series not only becoming a critical success, but Peacock also renewed the show for a second season before its premiere. Daniel spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about how streaming has taken a life of its own, how The Paper has adapted with the binge drop, and forging the series' relationships.

Greg Daniels on Forging the Identity 'The Paper', Its Relationships, and More

As Daniels worked with Peacock to plant the seeds for The Paper with Koman, he had a quality control clause with the streamer. "That was a very long negotiation. I was nervous, and I really didn't want to do this show if it didn't look like it was going to be good. So, I had a number of conditions. When I pitched it to [co-creator] Michael Koman, I was like, 'I just have to warn you: If it doesn't look like it's turning out well, that's it. We're not going to keep going.'" When asked where the point of no return was, "They didn't want to spend money on kill fees for the cast, so it was right around the time of signing Domhnall Gleeson," Daniels said.

When it came to reboots and remakes, Daniels admitted to being self-conscious about fan reception with his latest approach. "I love the artists [from 'The Office'] so much. I never wanted to do anything that looked like I was cashing in at the expense of anything," he said. "So, after a certain period of time, I talked to Steve Carell about it, and he was like, 'It doesn't matter. 'The Office is fine.' Go ahead, take a whack at it.' I felt I had permission to try something new. Also, the fans of the show are so protective …"

One major adjustment Daniels had from The Office to The Paper was the number of episodes from the standard 20+ from a network, with NBC, to hovering around 10 for a streamer, as is the case with Peacock. "Originally, I thought, 'Oh, we should try and imitate 'The Office' and drop them more spaced out.' But so many more people have watched 'The Office' on streaming than NBC. They felt this audience is going to associate the binge-ability of that with this show. But I wouldn't mind having a longer season. I have a deep ensemble, and it's actually quite difficult sometimes to be like, 'You're amazing, and you can be the lead of another show, but I have to cut you down to a C-plot now.'"

For more on Daniels talking about how relationships develop on The Paper, how each is not going to have that same dynamic as The Office's Jim and Pam by design, potential goals for season two, and his other shows in Prime Video's Upload, and Hulu's King of the Hill revival, check out the complete interview. Season one of The Paper, which also stars Sabrina Impacciatore, Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Ramona Young, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Tim Key, Eric Rahill, Duane R. Shepard Sr, and Oscar Nuñez, who's reprising his role as The Office's Oscar Martinez, is available on Peacock.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!