Diving Into Every The Office Cameo from Seasons 1 and 2 of The Paper
You'll never guess which iconic The Office characters appear — and which are referenced — in the first two seasons of The Paper.
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Key Takeaways
- The Paper confirms it shares a universe with The Office, revealing that Dunder Mifflin was bought out in 2019 by Enervate and replaced in Scranton by a laser hair removal company called One and Done.
- Several The Office connections appear throughout Seasons 1 and 2, including Bob Vance’s cameo, Oscar Martinez’s ongoing role, Stanley Hudson referenced through a phone call, recurring Michael Scott jokes, and visible Dunder Mifflin paper boxes.
- Oscar Martinez serves as the strongest link between the two series, continuing his character arc as the Toledo Truth Teller’s head accountant while showing a more cynical attitude toward being filmed by the documentary crew.
The second season of The Paper just dropped on Peacock, delivering 10 new episodes of comedy from the same creative minds that brought you The Office.
Although The Paper and The Office are different shows with different characters, they do exist in the same universe, as The Paper hammered that point home in its pilot episode. That means there are a handful of references and hat-tips to The Office that exist in The Paper, including one can't-miss cameo that had fans absolutely buzzing.
Here's everything to know about the Office cameos and references found throughout The Paper. Keep reading for all the details, below.
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Here is every The Office cameo and reference found in The Paper Seasons 1 and 2
While there aren't any cameos in Season 2, there are a handful of delightful easter eggs in the debut season:
Bob Vance explains the fate of Dunder Mifflin
The biggest Office cameo (and arguably the most surprising) happened in The Paper's very first scene of the series.
Bob Vance (of Vance Refrigeration, played by Robert R. Shafer) revealed that although his company is still going strong in Scranton, Dunder Mifflin was bought out, eventually being replaced in the building by a laser hair removal company called One and Done.
"Dunder Mifflin...yeah, they've been gone for a while," he explained to the documentary crew. "The One and Done guys are fine. Less drama, that's for sure."
Interesting enough, Bob — who tied the knot with Phyllis (Phyllis Smith) in The Office's third season — went on to say that Dunder Mifflin was purchased in 2019 by Toledo-based Enervate, a company that also operates the Toledo Truth Teller.
"That's right. I remember them asking if Phyllis wanted to move to Toledo," Bob revealed. "Ha! Leave Scranton for Toledo? Make me laugh."
Dunder Mifflin paper boxes
Throughout The Paper, evidence of Dunder Mifflin still pops up on occasion. Case in point: Viewers can spot authentic boxes of Dunder Mifflin paper in many shots throughout the show's first few episodes.
Enervate must have inherited all of Dunder Mifflin's excess paper inventory during the buy-out.
Oscar and Stanley still keep in touch
In Season 1's second episode, Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nuñez) shares a phone call with Stanley Hudson (played by Leslie David Baker in The Office).
The two friends bond over a crossword puzzle Oscar came across, and although viewers can't hear what Stanley is saying on the other line, it's heartwarming that the two still talk after all these years.
Michael Scott is referenced by Oscar on two occasions in Season 1
It's clear that Oscar's former boss, Michael Scott (Steve Carell) had a big impact on the accountant while they worked together in Scranton.
In the fourth episode of Season 4, Oscar responds to an attempt by his editor-in-chief (Ned Sampson, played by Domhnall Gleeson) to motivate him with, "Well, saying that work is fun is a form of pressure. Quite frankly, it’s giving me PTSD from an old boss."
Later, in the Season 1 finale, Oscar found himself in another conversation with Ned and passed along one of his former boss' favorite quotes.
"A great man once said, 'You miss 100% of the shots you don't take,'" he said. "Also an idiot I used to know."
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Who guest stars in The Paper Season 2?
These are the guest stars who appear in The Paper's sophomore season:
- Mo Welch
- Allan Havey
- Nate Jackson
- Nancy Lenehan
- Zak Messinger
- Lisa Gilroy
- Jon Lovitz
- Andy Richter
- Matt Braunger
- Toks Olagundoye
- Phil Hendrie
- Sam Huntington
You can also brush up on Season 1's guest stars.
Oscar Martinez ties The Office and The Paper together
While they're entirely different shows, The Office and The Paper do exist in the same universe.
In addition to sharing the same fictional documentary crew filming their employees' every move, the existence of Oscar Martinez as a character is the string that ties both shows together.
Early on in The Paper's first season, it was revealed that Oscar was hired at the Toledo Truth Teller as the paper's head accountant, accepting his new role in Ohio after Dunder Mifflin was bought out.
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Oscar's character in The Paper is the same as it was in The Office — although it's safe to say he's a little more jaded about being constantly filmed, especially when the documentary crew recorded countless moments of his affair with the Senator (er, State Senator) during The Office's ninth and final season.
