"The Paper" has brought viewers back to the "Office" universe with a long-awaited spin-off that's really only tenuously linked to the previous series. In reality, it didn't need to be associated at all. Indeed, beneath the "Office" associations, "The Paper" is a show that could easily flourish on its own terms, to the extent that by the end of the first season, I couldn't help but ask: Why is this even an "Office" spin-off?

During the final season of "The Office," NBC halted plans for a Dwight-led spin-off titled "The Farm," which was a good decision since it would've ruined the show's happy ending. After footage for the pilot was shot, the network then decided to kill the spin-off altogether, which led to extra scenes being filmed in order to turn the footage into an episode of "The Of

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