'The Paper' Panel: Documentary Style Lets Villain Go Vulnerable
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- Sabrina Impacciatore explored a vulnerable side of her 'obnoxious' managing editor Esmeralda Grand in 'The Paper' Episode 5, 'Scam Alert,' when the character discovers she has been conned by a man she met on a dating app — a turn Impacciatore said reveals someone who 'doesn't even realize when she's been manipulated herself.'
- Co-creator Michael Koman argued the show's documentary style, inherited from 'The Office,' excels at 'small comedy' because it can 'observe very small behavior' without breaking the reality of the format, even for a big character like Esmeralda.
- Director Tazbeh Chavez centered her direction on heavy visual and blocking prep plus character-arc breakdowns, creating an on-set environment she said was built to let actors try as many takes as possible in pursuit of 'lightning in a bottle.'
- Editor Julie Cohen drew on her reality and documentary background to sift through 'endless' options from each take, piecing together moments like 'a funny little laugh' rather than relying on the standard wide-medium-close-up coverage of traditional scripted shows.
- Koman said actors' unscripted choices frequently rescue scenes in the edit, noting 'you make 100 plans... and then usually in the editing something that an actor did that you didn't really particularly notice when it happened is what saves you.'
- 'The Paper' is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, and is streaming exclusively on Peacock, with the panel produced as part of IndieWire's USG University partnership with the Motion Picture & Television Fund celebrating the 2025–2026 TV season.
Why it matters: For Emmy-season voters evaluating 'The Paper,' the panel surfaces a concrete craft argument: the show's documentary inheritance isn't just stylistic pastiche — it's what allowed a comedic villain's quieter, awards-friendly beats to land. That framing gives Universal Television and Peacock a specific production choice (the 'scam' episode's restrained, observational tone) to point to when pitching performers and artisans for nominations.
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