Friends, Simpsons, Parks and Rec – there are plenty of contenders for the greatest comedy ever made.
However, if you had a Netflix subscription in the 2010s, chances are a certain mockumentary holds a special place in your heart.
I’m writing, of course, about The Office. This brilliant remake by Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais’ seminal work reimagined the cynical UK version as something lighter, but no less funny.
Now, after more than a decade off our screens, the brains behind that beloved show are back with a new series called The Paper.
A pseudo-sequel and spin-off to the workplace comedy, the article follows the Toledo-travela team as they attempt to revitalize the exit sign.
Ahead of the show’s launch, Metro sat down with Sabrina Impacciatore, who plays the extremely eccentric Esmeralda Grand, to talk about the new show, and the star was more than willing to admit that she’s nervous about how fans will receive the show, given its illustrious predecessor.
“I was hooked on The Office, really hooked,” she explained. “That show is such a legendary show that I’m scared that people might be disappointed, not by the show, but by me.”
‘I think this show is great… but I have imposter syndrome. I don’t know how people will react to Esmerelda.
Sabrina, for her part, loves Esmerelda because she allows the star to act a little crazy and go places she’d never go.
“[When I’m Esmerelda] I can be unkind, where I can be manipulative, I can be nasty, I can be bossy, but in a funny way,” she said. “It’s a very refreshing character, and it’s very liberating.”
In fact, if you watch the news, you’ll love Esmerelda like I do; she’s a larger-than-life character who demands attention like Steve Carell’s Michael Scott.
Indeed, for Sabrina, there is more than just eccentricity that links these characters.
She believes that Esmerelda’s big, bold persona and sometimes antagonistic actions are a kind of defense against the world, in the same way that Michael used humor to hide his own insecurities.
The paper review
Our deputy TV editor shares his thoughts on the paper…
Journalism jobs and other media roles in general may seem glitzy and glamorous, but everything Glisters isn’t gold.
The work can often be low-paid, time-consuming, and surprisingly antisocial, not to mention the ever-present sense of dread surrounding declining readership, both in print and online, thanks to the ‘social media’ of news.
In short, it’s like most office jobs—with the only real difference being that I bet I have more Disney-branded bags than you do (Cheers, Mickey).
Perhaps it’s not surprising that I find myself quite conflicted about The Journal—a new show that’s almost a spin-off of The U.S. Office.
Like The Office (both the UK and US versions), The Office is a mockumentary that delights in poking fun at the absurdity of the world of work, and it does a very good job of doing so.
But as someone who has built a career in journalism over the past decade, remembering that dying slowly isn’t something I’m always comfortable laughing about.
Read the full article review here…
“I think she’s always at war,” she replied when I asked about the character’s obvious insecurities.
‘It’s her against the world; everyone could be a potential enemy. I see her as a very lonely woman, someone who has had to fight all her life.
‘She wants to be part of the American dream. She wants to stay in this society. So if she feels threatened, she must react to it. She tries to neutralize people before they hurt her.
In addition to this defensiveness, Sabrina also believes – in a very meta way – that Esemerlda is playing with the mockumentary cameras in the hopes of winning over the audience at home.
“I thought maybe Esmerelda wants to use the camera to seduce people outside the office. Maybe she’d like to become a star one day.
‘I asked [the writers] what do you think of it. They said, “We love it.”‘
All episodes of the article will be available on Sky and Streaming Service now on September 5th.
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