When The Office aired its final episode in 2013, fans believed they had seen the last of Dunder Mifflin’s quirky employees. Few expected that more than a decade later, one of the show’s most understated yet beloved characters — Oscar Martinez, played by Oscar Nuñez — would return to television in a brand-new expansion of the series’ universe. Yet that is precisely what has happened with the premiere of The Paper, a mockumentary-style comedy that continues the legacy of The Office while boldly exploring new territory.
Oscar Nuñez’s return has generated enormous excitement partly because his character was always one of the show’s most grounded presences. While other characters reveled in chaos, pranks, or melodrama, Oscar often stood in contrast: analytical, calm, quietly judgmental yet strangely endearing. Fans appreciated him for the wry humor and subtle intelligence he brought to Scranton’s dysfunctional office environment. As such, the decision to bring him back — and not as a cameo but as a supporting figure in a new narrative — feels more meaningful than a simple nostalgic gesture.
In The Paper, Oscar Martinez is placed into an entirely new setting: a struggling, small-town newspaper fighting to stay alive in the modern digital era. The show follows a different cast of oddball employees, but Oscar enters the story as a steadying presence, someone whose years of professional experience and no-nonsense personality immediately stand out. His new role reflects a natural progression for the character. While he once navigated petty workplace politics at Dunder Mifflin, he now faces a more serious set of challenges — including budget constraints, newsroom burnout, local controversy, and the evolving role of journalism in American life.
The creators of The Paper intentionally designed the series to honor the tone of The Office without imitating it. The mockumentary style remains, complete with confessionals, awkward silences and lingering zooms, but the world it depicts is richer, more socially relevant, and occasionally more dramatic. Oscar’s presence helps tie these tonal shifts together. His ability to mix dry humor with a sense of earnestness provides a familiar emotional anchor for longtime fans while allowing the new cast to develop their own comedic rhythm.
Oscar Nuñez has spoken openly about the surreal nature of returning to a character he played for nearly a decade. For him, slipping back into Oscar Martinez’s mindset required reconnecting with mannerisms and personality traits he had long since set aside. Yet once filming began, he found the process unexpectedly natural — almost as if the character had aged alongside him. This maturity is evident in The Paper, where Oscar appears wiser, more confident, and perhaps more world-weary than he ever was at Dunder Mifflin. It’s a subtle but powerful evolution that resonates deeply with audiences who have grown up alongside the show.
Critics have praised The Paper for its ability to expand on The Office’s core themes while forging its own identity. Instead of pranking coworkers or dealing with clueless bosses, the new series grapples with the fragility of local journalism, the ethics of storytelling, and the tension between traditional media and modern technology. That said, humor still drives the narrative — whether through awkward staff meetings, impossible deadlines, eccentric writers, or community members who take themselves a little too seriously.
Oscar’s dynamic within this environment feels both refreshing and familiar. In many ways, his character functions like the office sage: the one who knows how things should work, even if nobody listens. His understated reactions and deadpan delivery create comedic contrast with the louder, more chaotic personalities around him. Yet he also provides emotional depth, revealing the value of experience, resilience and adaptability in a shifting world. These qualities make him not just a nostalgia figure but a key part of the show’s thematic heart.
What truly elevates The Paper, however, is its sense of continuity — not just with The Office, but with its audience. Viewers who spent years watching Oscar navigate the minefield of Scranton office politics now see him applying those same survival skills in a newsroom where the stakes feel more real. His presence reminds fans why The Office resonated for so long: beneath the comedy, the show always understood people, their flaws, their routines, and the unexpected ways they impact each other.
For many fans, Oscar Nuñez’s return represents something more than a simple casting announcement. It signals that the world of The Office is not frozen in time. Like its characters, it can grow, adapt and continue telling new stories. Just as Scranton once became a symbol of workplace absurdity, the Toledo Truth Teller promises to become a symbol of modern struggle, perseverance and community storytelling — with Oscar standing at the intersection of old and new.
As The Paper continues airing its first season, audiences will undoubtedly debate whether it captures the magic of its predecessor. But one thing is certain: Oscar Nuñez’s return has breathed life into a universe fans never truly wanted to leave. And in doing so, he has opened the door for future possibilities, future characters, and perhaps, someday, future reunions.
