As a spinoff of The Office, it was inevitable that Peacock’s The Paper would be making its fair share of Office references. Creators Greg Daniels and Michael Koman even brought back an entire character from The Office with Oscar (Oscar Nuñez), intertwining the show’s worlds for good.
Thankfully, The Paper doesn’t beat you over the head with The Office fan service. Instead, it peppers in a few choice references over its first 10 episodes, but never so many that they distract from the new world of the Toledo Truth Teller.
Still, these references are more than worth shouting out. From cameos to memorable quotes, here are the three best Office callbacks in The Paper.
Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration is still going strong.
The Paper kicks off with The Office‘s documentary crew returning to the Scranton Business Park. It feels just like coming home… if home was a corporate block, that is.
There, the documentary crew discovers that Dunder Mifflin is long gone, now replaced by a laser hair removal business. (Apparently, they cause less drama than Dunder Mifflin.) But you know who isn’t gone? Bob Vance (Robert Ray Shafer), Vance Refrigeration. Good to know that Scranton still appreciates quality fridges, years down the line.
Aside from Oscar, Bob is the only returning character from The Office. He makes his quick cameo count, pointing the documentary crew to Dunder Mifflin’s buyer Enervate. That, in turn, brings them to the Toledo Truth Teller.
Bob also drops some sweet news about what’s going on in other Dunder Mifflin characters’ lives, revealing that Phyllis (Phyllis Smith) and Stanley (Leslie David Baker) still keep in touch about their Schnoodle dogs. Sweet, gets the main story going, and doesn’t overstay its welcome — now that’s a good cameo.
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Stanley and Oscar bond over Oscar’s puzzles.
Phyllis isn’t the only Dunder Mifflin employee Stanley keeps in touch with! In episode 2 of The Paper, the show reveals that he and Oscar are still close.
The reveal comes towards the end of the episode, when Oscar is admiring the sudoku he’s published in the latest edition of the Toledo Truth Teller. He’s texted it to Stanley, because who better to judge the quality of puzzles than The Office‘s resident sudoku and crossword expert?
The two share a phone call about the puzzle, and while we never hear Stanley’s voice, it’s clear he thinks the sudoku was too easy. Maybe he’ll have a tougher time with Oscar’s Ohio Journalism Award–winning Mr. Digit game? Either way, just that phone call is enough to warm the heart of any Office fan.
Wayne Gretzky’s “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take” makes a comeback.
One of the most iconic jokes from all of The Office is Michael Scott (Steve Carell) staking his claim over a famed Wayne Gretzky quote, writing on a whiteboard: “‘You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take’ — Wayne Gretzky — Michael Scott.”
The Paper brings that joke back in its Season 1 finale, when Oscar encourages editor-in-chief Ned (Domhnall Gleeson) to pursue reporter Mare (Chelsea Frei).
As Oscar tells Ned, “A great man once said, ‘You miss 100 percent of the jokes you don’t take.’ Also an idiot I used to know.”
That idiot is obviously Michael, whom Oscar has alluded to at other points in the season as being a bad boss. But this shout-out (really, more of a call-out) takes the cake, not only paying tribute to a great joke but also using said joke to propel one of the show’s romances. Perfect multitasking, Oscar! And a perfect Office reference to end the season on.
The Paper Season 1 is now streaming on Peacock.
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The Office
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