The Paper

I didn't have much hope for this show. I figured it would be a bad attempt at recreating the Office. But it's actually pretty funny. Much better than I thought it would be. That being said, Esmeralda is absolutely unbearable and single handily ruins the show. I don't know if the writers thought people would like her, find her funny, or what their plan was for her. But her character is so bad it makes me want to turn the show off every time she's on the screen. If she were removed, season 2 could truly be great.

She's like Nellie, but ten times worse. Everything she's done through three episodes has been irritating. I understand the point of having a character like this, but it's baffling that her nonstop aggravating presence - especially for such a seemingly central role - made it to production without getting flagged.

Practically every line of dialogue in The Office, even in the first season, is written for comedy. The business of Dunder Mifflin is just a backdrop and has little real importance to the show; the focus is always on the humor. The Paper by contrast only slips in a few jokes per episode, and they come across as bland and lazy. The story is built more around a "will they, won't they succeed" setup, which makes it feel less like a sitcom and more like a standard TV drama. Why did they think this is what the fans wanted? I hope Peacock listens to the negative reviews or this show will go nowhere.

The show on it's own not comparing it to the Office is fine. It needs time to grow I guess, hopefully it will find it's legs in the second season. The "Me Too" joke on the first episode was distasteful and there is some cringe through the season. My biggest criticism is that the character Esmerelda is complete garbage and not in a way that you love to hate a character, she just is jarring to the entire growth of the entire cast. She tries to ruin everything in a sense that makes me want to go away from the screen or turn it off everytime she's on. Get rid of or change Esmerelda and the potential will grow.

I was really looking forward to this series as a big Office fan! I know they said not to expect The Office but when there's a lot of the same ppl how can you not? The show isn't terrible and has the makings to be great! There are no stand out characters. Only time I laughed out loud was when Oscar curses to keep the documentary crew from recording him. The other moments that really stood out also all included Oscar. If they want this show to succeed we need much more Oscar and absolutely zero Esmeralda. She's not funny. She tries too hard. It's uncomfortable to watch. I'm sure the actress is a lovely person but this is not her best role. I'm half way through the season and I give it a 5!