'The Office' spin-off 'The Paper' releases first trailer

The new show stars Domhnall Gleeson as the editor-in-chief of a struggling newspaper. The marketing has gone aggressively for, "You love 'The Office'! Please watch this!" Maybe they feared trying to get people to watch a mockumentary about a flailing Midwestern newspaper might not work on its own. The marketing does feel a smidge craven though.

Grievances aside, what about the quality of the trailer? Might 'The Paper,' be good in and of itself? After all, "The Office" adapter Greg Daniels directed the pilot, and he also co-wrote it. He serves as co-creator and as an executive producer alongside Michael Koman, who has written for Conan O'Brien, Demetri Martin, Robert Smigel, and Nathan Fielder. That's a pretty impressive group.

At first watch, 'The Paper' seems like it'll be fine. Laying groundwork for a sitcom is tricky, which is why so many shows that end up being really good have so-so pilots. If 'The Paper' does manage to ride the love for 'The Office' (and one assumes heavy promotion whenever anybody opens Peacock), it should generate enough curiosity and popularity to stretch its wings. Maybe it will even start being viewed as its own thing and not as a byproduct of 'The Office.'