The Paper Season 2 is a smidge less exhilarating than its debut season, but it’s still a whole lot of fun regardless. Still as sharp and relevant, and the kind of show that deserves to be on air for a long, long time. As a series that effectively explores the importance of local news, it takes a bit more liberties this time around, but it mostly continues to work as an example of how to be fully transparent in the field, if nowhere else.
This time around, we get a lot more of the characters outside of the Toledo Truth Tellers, allowing us to get to know them better, which, in turn, makes the sophomore season more enjoyable. Though, at the same time, this could simultaneously be the reason why something in this season feels a bit off. Great, regardless, but just a bit less familiar.
Interestingly, as the trailer hinted, there’s a surprising amount of romance between Domhnall Gleeson’s Ned and Chelsea Frei’s Mare that I wasn’t expecting. Having watched enough sitcoms, I figured they’d brush aside their kiss and go about pining for each other throughout the season before getting together in future episodes. Instead, what we get is a really riveting arc that not only adds levity to the show but also depth through necessary conversations about consent and agency. As a result, the series shines as a sitcom because while it makes light of certain situations, it still manages to get the point across in a manner that feels organic.
That said, Chelsea Frei is an undeniable MVP this season, alongside Melvin Gregg as Detrick. The Paper Season 2 gives both characters riveting arcs to play with, and they deliver with a full range of emotions at every turn. It’s especially great to see Frei’s arc for Mare as a female journalist because it’s something we continuously need to see in this workspace. No matter how much progress there seems to be, it’s always one step forward and two steps back, and we get this through a compelling arc.
In true sitcom form, there are a lot of contradictions and a whole lot of wild antics that each of the characters is constantly running from, yet it never once stops feeling organic, and that’s what works best. There’s a raw authenticity in the show that was present from its debut, and it expands in Season 2. No matter how absurd it gets—and the tornado isn’t the only breaking news—it never stops feeling real. Incredibly well-written in that regard, so much of the season works because the characters are almost always struggling to keep their head above the water.
The thing about journalism is that it’s an unsteady field. One minute you easily have all the material for an exhilarating, maybe even groundbreaking piece, and the next you’re writing about the wrong haunted house. Or you’re aimlessly scrolling through social media trying to find something that can be both interesting and perform well. Because that’s the thing about journalism: you can write it, but people have to read it in order for the job to keep going. And The Paper never once forgets this detail, making it the exact type of show we need until creative fields get better.
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