The Office creator had one condition for The Paper spinoff series

Starting a spin-off from another property is always risky. Sitcoms can succeed or fail in a single season if they failed to capture lightning caught in a bottle the first time around, and the concern was that might be the case with “The Office” spinoff, “The Paper.” Although it received a surprisingly positive response upon release, it delivered what seemed like a hilarious, charming and unexpected love letter to journalismthere were major concerns about whether it would resonate with the public. Series creator Greg Daniels, returning to the mockumentary format he excelled at with “The Office,” was hesitant, setting a specific and strict condition to ensure the film was authentic.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporterthe creator of “The Office” and “The Paper” gave strict instructions to abandon the project if the new series did not meet the standards of the original. “It 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,” Daniels recalls. “So I had a number of conditions. When I presented it to [co-creator] Michael Koman, I was like, ‘I just have to warn you: If it doesn’t seem to be going well, that’s it.’ We’re not going to continue.'” Fortunately, it took some advice from a former Dunder Mifflin manager to turn Daniels around and prove that sending “The Paper” to print was a good idea after all.

While “The Paper” wasted no time in bringing back some characters from “The Office,” Daniels revealed that his main concern was that those he had collaborated with for so many years during Dunder Mifflin’s reign on television were not being disrespected when “The Paper” finally arrived. “I like artists [from The Office] such. I never wanted to do anything that felt like I was making money at the expense of anything. Fortunately, those concerns were allayed when one of the original series’ most beloved stars stepped in with an outside perspective, saying a few kind words. “So after a while, I talked to Steve Carell about it, and he said, ‘It doesn’t matter. The office is fine. Go ahead and try it. I felt like I had permission to try something new.”

That something new was a wonderful surprise, with “The Paper” bringing an equally fun vibe, reminiscent of “Abbott Elementary”, rather than the show it came from, which hadn’t been on the air for over a decade. Certainly, some elements seem strangely familiar to “The Office,” particularly in terms of characters and storylines that echo what has come before. However, considering how “The Paper” has been received so far, it seems the take isn’t showing any signs of letting up just yet.