Let’s be honest—if you watched The Office and didn’t quietly identify with Oscar Martinez (intelligent, dry, over it), then you were probably the one microwaving fish in the break room. And now, nearly a decade after we last saw him at Dunder Mifflin, Oscar’s back… though he’d really prefer you not make a big deal about it. Or put him on camera. Or use his likeness. Too late.
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Oscar Nuñez—yes, he shares his character’s first name, a casting decision that has guaranteed 20 years of being shouted at in public—is returning as the beloved gay accountant in The Paper, a loose Office spin-off premiering September 4 on Peacock. The series follows a ragtag team at a struggling local newspaper in Ohio, the Toledo Truth Teller, and yes, the same unseen camera crew is still lurking in the background, because old habits (and old contracts) die hard.
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Nuñez, who is not gay, told Variety he was “a little nervous when we first started.” He wasn’t sure how it would roll out or who the new characters were. But once he stepped on set? “They’re all so good. All you really have to do is show up, do your thing, and keep up with them — and trust that you’re there for a reason, too.”
Among the newcomers? Domhnall Gleeson as Ned Sampson, a hopelessly idealistic editor-in-chief who wants to save journalism like it’s not already on a ventilator. Gleeson’s prep impressed Nuñez: “He really cared about his character and asked a lot of questions. I thought that was very cool.”
Of course, the star attraction here is Oscar—now reluctantly relocated to Ohio, still counting beans, and still visibly annoyed by being in a workplace documentary. In episode one, he delivers a line that perfectly captures the character’s mood: “You can’t use my voice, my likeness, my face, nothing!” Cut to a title card: “Yes we can. There’s no end date on the release Oscar signed in 2005.”
It’s the kind of meta, deadpan humor The Office was known for—and it’s aging surprisingly well.
Oscar, as Nuñez describes him, is “a pseudo-intellectual. He wants to do his job and find a boyfriend and go to some plays. He wants to enjoy his life without being in a documentary.” Same, honestly.
But beneath the familiar sarcasm, there’s an undeniable evolution. Oscar isn’t just the quiet guy in the background correcting Michael Scott’s grammar anymore. He’s got depth, questions about meaning, and—maybe—a few unresolved dreams.
“Does he just want to make a buck and be cynical, or does he want to do something? We’ll have to wait and see,” Nuñez teases.
For longtime fans, this return is more than nostalgia—it’s legacy. And for many queer fans, it’s personal.
Nuñez says he often forgets his character is gay until someone reminds him.
“I’ll go to a convention and young people come up to me and say, ‘Thank you. Your character helped me come out of the closet.’” He adds, “It’s very cool. That’s the best part about it.”
It’s worth noting that Oscar wasn’t always written as gay. In fact, it wasn’t until season two that Greg Daniels, the U.S. showrunner, approached Nuñez and asked: “Do you mind if we make your character gay?” Nuñez’s response: “No, I don’t care.” Daniels replied: “Oh, good, because we already wrote the scripts.”
That choice—and Oscar’s unflinching portrayal—ended up mattering more than anyone expected. At a time when gay characters on mainstream network comedies were few and mostly flamboyant, Oscar stood out as intelligent, reserved, and refreshingly ordinary. He was just… there. And that meant something.
So what does the next chapter look like for TV’s most reluctantly-documented accountant?
Plot-wise, Oscar’s moved to Ohio after his company was bought out and told: “You want to keep working for this company? You’re going to have to relocate.” According to Nuñez, it’s the same guy in a different city—“probably making more money if he negotiated properly.”
In spirit, though, The Paper has a lot on its mind. As Nuñez notes, journalism itself is under siege. Two newspapers are shuttering per week in the U.S., and over 55 million Americans live in areas with little or no access to local news. That’s a backdrop the show doesn’t shy away from.
“It’s something that’s dying,” Nuñez says. “It continues to be, for people who believe in a free press, a noble profession, to go out there and investigate things that need to be investigated.”
Still, don’t expect The Paper to lose itself in earnestness. It may be more topical, but it’s still a workplace comedy—with awkward silences, endearing weirdos, and deeply uncomfortable office birthday parties (we assume).
Behind the scenes, it’s packed with Dunder Mifflin DNA. Paul Lieberstein (Toby!), several original directors, and Daniels himself are all involved. Ellie Kemper’s husband Michael Koman even co-created the series. A few familiar names are hinted at, and Nuñez says he’d “love to see Creed come back. Or Angela — I don’t know what she’s doing.”
When asked if The Paper will be The Office 2.0, Nuñez is pragmatic:
“Nothing will ever be like The Office. That was crazy how funny that was. But this is not too shabby.”
Whether you watched The Office in real time, binged it during the pandemic, or just finally figured out who that guy in the memes is—Oscar’s return feels like catching up with an old friend who hasn’t aged but is very annoyed that you still insist on filming him.
Oscar’s gay, he’s tired, and he just wants to see a play and maybe meet a nice man. Don’t we all?
The Paper premieres September 4 on Peacock in the U.S., and September 5 on Sky and NOW TV in the UK. Bring snacks. And maybe a signed release form.
Source: Variety