The Paper Wastes No Time Bringing Back An Original Office Character

This article contains spoilers for season 1 of "The Paper." 

It might take place in a completely different time and environment, but fans of "The Office" would be forgiven for tuning into "The Paper" and hoping to see characters other than Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nuñez). It was revealed in the first trailer for the new spin-off of the award-winning sitcom that the former accountant from Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch would be involved in the latest show (despite his reluctance), but the first episode of "The Paper" immediately features a cameo from the original comedy, and it's not just for fun.

In what kicks off as a catch-up for the viewer to find out what has happened to the Dunder Mifflin office since we left Scranton after nine seasons back in 2013 (yep, that long ago), we're quickly reunited with Bob Vance (Bobby Ray Shafer) from Vance Refrigeration. It's a great surprise for fans of the original series and one that, most importantly, doesn't feel like just some checklist requirement, but one that makes sense to shift our story where it needs to be. After some quick research by Bob Vance (from Vance Refrigeration), we learned that Dunder Mifflin was acquired by Envervate in Toledo, Ohio, which sets up our shift to coincide with the location of The Truth Teller offices. Between this and Oscar's involvement in the show, the connective (Softees-manufactured) tissue between "The Paper" and "The Office" stops there, but that doesn't mean there's not a chance of other characters of the original show ending up in this one if "The Paper" gets a second season.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly before the show's release, Sabrina Impacciatore, who plays Esmeralda Grand on the new show, revealed that OG alumni of "The Office" made an unplanned visit to the set of "The Paper" on the first day of filming. As luck would have it, Steve Carell and John Krasinski, who played Michael Scott until 2011 and Jim Halpert on the original show, were filming a commercial on a set next door and took the chance to swing by and wish the new cast the best of luck. As it stands, their involvement with "The Paper" remains strictly off record, and neither of the stars makes an appearance in this season. The question remains, though, could they turn up somewhere down the line, instead?

Given their evident enthusiasm for the show's success, there's no reason to think that either Jim or Michael couldn't zip by Oscar's office at The Truth Teller to visit their old friend. Throughout the series, the accountant-turned-critic for the paper is seen on the phone with Stanley (Leslie David Baker) and name-drops other former work colleagues, so it's not completely implausible for some of them to turn up in future seasons of the show. That is, of course, if the daring spin-off receives a warm enough reception to get a follow-up story, but even if it does, there's clearly enough in "The Paper" to tell a future of its own, without depending on familiar faces of the past to help it along.

"The Paper" is available to stream on Peacock.