If you found yourself absolutely loving Season 1 of The Paper on Peacock, boy, do we have some good news for you.
Ahead of Season 2’s release in the fall — no exact date yet but it sounds like it will be around the same September release window Season 1 had — the cast is finally starting to tease what fans have in store. Over the weekend, DECIDER sat down with Chelsea Frei, Oscar Nuñez, Melvin Gregg, and Sabrina Impacciatore at ATX TV Festival and got the scoop on the general direction that the second season is heading in.
“As far as the second season, we were told not to give any details, but they’re working on it right now. They’re editing as we speak,” Nuñez told DECIDER. “I think it’s more action, more excitement, more things happening. Relationships moving forward. Obviously, they’re not going to go backwards. And things of that nature. I said nothing.”
The words are no surprise, as any fan of The Office will tell you that the abbreviated Season 1 was really scene setting for Season 2, which is when it really took things up a notch and found its groove. The cast shared that while Season 1 — which debuted to rave reviews from audiences and critics alike — felt like a great start, it was really just the warm-up for what and where they want the story about the staff at a small-town newspaper to go.
For Impacciatore, who plays the petulant but hilarious managing editor of Toledo Truth Teller (TTT) Online, that means beginning to learn more about why Esmerelda is the way she is and if she can continue to try to undermine Ned (Domhnall Gleeson), Mare (Frei), and the rest of the staff.
“I think we’ll see a bit more of this in Season 2,” she said of seeing Esmerelda’s soft side. “Hopefully, these people will understand her fragility, her vulnerability. Sometimes people who look resplendent outside, like a cactus, it has those spines, but inside there is that sweet liquid. And so I see her like a kind of succulent.”
Check out DECIDER’s full chat with the cast of The Paper at ATX TV Fest below.
DECIDER: I know Greg [Daniels] says he categorizes each season as a book. What is the general story and direction of Season 1 and Season 2?
CHELSEA FREI: Greg has said that to us a few times, this idea of the book, and I think Season 1 was the beginning. You know, you’re not trying to tell the whole story, but you’re also trying to tell something succinct. The other thing that’s so wild about TV is you’re always hoping for more seasons, but you don’t know if you’re going to get them. So you do want to end in something that’s, you know, special and feels like if this is the end of the show, people would feel happy with it. And also a reason for audiences to come back so that you can do it more, which is all we want to do. So I think it’s like the first chapter in The Twilight Saga. We’re at the first book in the Twilight series. You need New Moon. They don’t know what that they don’t know that reference, but it’s a good reference.
We’re not Twihards over here, guys? Have you seen the movies at least?
MELVIN GREGG: I know about the movies.
OSCAR NUNEZ: This is the vampire movie? But they don’t go to Hogwarts?
FREI: That is a different franchise.
Do you want to relate this to Harry Potter in some way?
NUNEZ: It’s an introduction of characters. The pilot is always a bit of exposition. But it was good and interesting and these people are likable and wonderful. Domhnall Gleason, you know, with the red hair? Very talented. He’s on the show. I mean, they know it’s a first season. I think it was good that we were in the hands of Michael Koman and Greg Daniels, who have good hands. And as far as the second season, we were told not to give any details. But they’re working on it right now. They’re editing as we speak. And I think it’s more action, more excitement, more things happening. Relationships moving forward. Obviously, they’re not going to go backwards. And things of that nature… I said nothing.
You said some things we wanted to hear. By the way, have we all seen Domhnall’s best movie, About Time?
SABRINA IMPACCIATORE: It’s so nice, such a nice original romantic comedy. I really liked it a lot. Domhnall is perfect for rom-coms, he is perfect to play the hero of romantic comedy, as she [Frei] is. She reminds me of that incredible actress, oh my gosh…
Meg Ryan?
NUNEZ: [Simultaneously] Meg Ryan.
FREI: That’s the nicest thing anybody could ever say.
IMPACCIATORE: It’s true.
And Chelsea, you kind of get to play that dynamic with Domhnall, what is that like?
FREI: It’s amazing. It’s tricky because there’s a lot of just comparing it to The Office and everything and that couple that you’re like, “Are they going to get together or are they not?” And because of that, we ended up spending so much time kind of just talking about, would we okay getting into a romantic relationship with somebody we work with? If somebody is our boss, if we love the thing we’re doing so much and are scared of ruining it. Some of my favorite times on the show, it’ll be like me, Greg Daniels, Michael Koman and Domhnall in a room just talking about love and life and relationships and really caring and being thoughtful about it. I’m learning so much, I feel like I’m just like they’re just trying to hear everything everybody’s saying and also give my two cents. But yeah, it’s amazing. I adore Domhnall. We have so much fun together.
Sabrina, there was a lot of talk in Season 1 around Esmeralda as an antagonist. I think she’s a lovable antagonist, but there was a lot of talk with people online making critiques of her.
IMPACCIATORE: Wow, I don’t know anything about it. I’m curious.
I think people aren’t willing to give her the grace that they would often give to a character like Michael Scott.
NUNEZ: You’re not wrong.
IMPACCIATORE: It’s fascinating because you are telling something to me completely new, because I feel I’m getting so much love for playing Esmeralda. This is a new thing. I don’t see her as an antagonist. I see her as someone that, in order to survive, she needs to fight. She feels threatened. And she’s a lonely woman, she doesn’t have the support of a man. She’s a single mom. She’s an immigrant. She has so many weak points and she’s scared to lose the little power that she got. She doesn’t want to lose what she achieved in life. And so she feels that everyone could be a threat, and everyone could be the one who makes her lose power. And so she has to fight. That’s why I love her dearly.
Of course she’s manipulative. To me, it was really tough to accept the idea that she was so nasty but speaking from a childish point of view, because she does the wrong things, but she’s innocent inside. When she falls in love, she doesn’t even realize that someone is manipulating her and somehow she’s looking to be loved. I think we’ll see a bit more of this in Season 2. And hopefully these people will understand her fragility, her vulnerability. Sometimes people who look resplendent outside, like a cactus, it has those spines, but inside there is that sweet liquid. And so I see her like a kind of succulent.
She’s definitely one of the best characters in the show. I think I’ve watched the “What are all the clattering chickens clucking about” clip 100 times.
FREI: Oh my god, me too.
What do you remember about filming that and finding that exact delivery?
IMPACCIATORE: I remember that I was so inspired. Sometimes this script inspires me to the point that I really, really don’t know what I’m doing. For example, I became that chicken that I didn’t even I didn’t choose that. Like I became that thing and I explored it. What I like about this character is that I do not act. I live that character widely, I set her free, and I do physical stuff that I don’t even think about. She became like a crazy twin who lives and I see her doing crazy things, and it’s very refreshing to me. She’s a child. That’s why I don’t see her [as bad]. I see her like a little nasty kid at school who just wants to be loved.
You guys get a lot of comparisons to The Office, but honestly, I think one of the best comparisons to Detick’s character is probably Andy from Parks and Rec, who is just so sweet and so kind.
GREGG: I wanted it to be that you could be safe. I wanted him to — well, I would describe it as the type of guy you wouldn’t mind your sister dating. Like if your sister brought Detrick home or your daughter bought Detrick home, you’d be like, “He’s a good guy,” I do feel like he has a childlike enthusiasm, a childlike optimism. Sometimes he’s a people pleaser, but he always has good intentions. He’s trying to figure it out. He leads with his heart because he doesn’t know to play the game, to try to court Nicole (Ramona Young). It’s like, I like you, so I want to tell you, I like you. I like being around you. So I want to be around you. You make me smile. So I want to smile. But she’s like, you know, a lot of guys play games, and I feel like he’s honest to a fault in that sense. Had he played a few more games with it, it might have worked out for him. But yeah, I think he’s a very genuine character.
The Paper Season 1 is now streaming on Peacock. Season 2 premieres in the fall.
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