Sep 09, 2026 4:44pm IST
Greg Daniels and Michael Koman on ‘The Paper’ Season 2 and Why a Crossover with ‘House of the Dragon’ Would Be Fun (EXCLUSIVE)
“The Paper” is finally coming into its own. Starring Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore, among others, the spinoff and follow-up to “The Office” comes from the iconic American mockumentary sitcom's creator Greg Daniels and writer-producer Michael Koman. After a slow and steady beginning, Season 1 ended with the staff at Ohio’s Toledo Truth Teller newspaper winning awards professionally and having major life-changing moments personally. It opened the floodgates to newer conflicts and character developments that up the ante for its upcoming Season 2.
In an exclusive chat with Variety India, creators and executive producers Greg Daniels and Michael Koman talk about “The Paper” Season 2, letting the writers weigh in on their characters’ arcs, the incredible comedic genius of Sabrina Impacciatore and her Esmerelda this season and the workplace show universe they’d want to crossover into.
Excerpts:
For Season 2, you brought the actors into the writing room to share their input on how their characters would shape up this season. Is there an actor who really hit it out of the park with this exercise?
Greg Daniels: Well, I would mention Melvin Gregg, who plays Detrick Moore. He came in wanting more professional growth after having had a very romantic, sort of heavy Season 1. And he did a great job. Especially towards the end of the season, he really stepped up as a reporter and had cool moments with other characters.
Michael Koman: I have to say, Travis, played by Eric Rayhill. Eric was in the writers' room with us the whole time. And I felt like his character developed really nicely this season beyond our initial idea of him as a kind of rough, outdoorsy type guy. I think he turned into a genuinely interesting person to me.
Greg Daniels: Well, yeah. Once we made a policy to not run any more jokes about fishing, he started to go in different directions!
Michael Koman: Yeah, these are our creative tools!
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Esmeralda is a fantastic character. A lot of her choices stem from protecting her place in a rapidly changing industry. Sabrina Impacciatore has mentioned that she gets a lot of room to improvise. Is there a scene this season with her that blew your mind?
Greg Daniels: Sabrina came in during pre-production talking about how she finds it very funny when her character is verbally abusing children. She has a terrific young actor playing her son Mateo. And there's a scene at the end of Season 2 where she's worried about his math grade. So she goes undercover with an elaborate outfit as a fellow 12-year-old boy! And he calls her mom at one point. And she acts like she's so offended that another boy called her mom and puts him in a headlock. They are tussling. That comes to mind for me!
Michael Koman: I would have said the same. The next scene is her saying goodbye to the children in the classroom. To me, what she did in that was just... I can't explain why it actually moved me. She was welling up with tears, saying goodbye to these kids that her character had met about two hours before. And they understood that she was not a child. I just thought she was…
Greg Daniels: You thought she was crazy!
Michael Koman: (Laughs) I found that to be just hilarious!
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You have both worked with and are friends with Conan O’Brien, who was in India recently to shoot an episode for his travel show. Were any incidents or characters in “The Paper” inspired by your time together?
Greg Daniels: For the Conan connection, I think, subconsciously, Domhnall Gleeson is a very tall, red-headed Irishman. I probably have a soft spot for people who look like that. Koman has also worked with Conan in his career. And Conan did stop by the writers' room last season and just enjoyed hanging out with us.
If ‘The Paper’ could have a crossover with one of the many excellent workplace shows that have come out in the past couple of years, which one would you love to write?
Greg Daniels: There's a big scandal at “St. Denis Medical!” We could go crossover and roast them!
Michael Koman: Well, they're in different cities; this is the only problem. I would say “The Pitt” because I feel like I would really like to see our characters interacting with that cast. I just love that cast. But unfortunately, they're in Pittsburgh!
Greg Daniels: Maybe “House of the Dragons”. We could try and find out why they're making such poor decisions. Interview Tumbleton residents as to how it could have gone so wrong.
And you could send in Esmeralda. She can talk to all the kids that Daemon Targaryen burnt in the Season 3 finale!
Greg Daniels and Michael Koman: Yes, yes!
“The Paper” Season 2 streams on JioHotstar starting September 9, 2026.
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