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The Best Episodes of The Paper

Every episode of The Paper ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Paper!

Binge this in 4h 57m•Peaking at 8.1/10

The documentary crew that immortalized Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch is in search of a new subject when they discover a historic Toledo newspaper, The Truth Teller, and the eager publisher trying to revive it.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    The Paper Season 1 Episode 10 - The Ohio Journalism Awards
    8.1/10(988 votes)

    #1 - The Ohio Journalism Awards

    S1:E10

    Ned stifles his desire to win at the Ohio Journalism Awards; Nicole uncovers Detrick's monogamy.

    Director:Jeffrey Blitz
    Writer:Paul Lieberstein

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  2. The Paper Season 1 Episode 5 - Scam Alert!
    7.4/10(874 votes)

    #2 - Scam Alert!

    S1:E5

    Ned chases a story about a scammer operating through a dating app and learns Esmeralda was a victim.

    Director:Tazbah Chavez
    Writer:Mo Welch

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  3. The Paper Season 1 Episode 6 - Churnalism
    7.4/10(801 votes)

    #3 - Churnalism

    S1:E6

    Ned takes over Esmeralda's advertorials and assigns the staff to test products themselves.

    Director:Jason Woliner
    Writer:Eric Rahill

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  4. The Paper Season 1 Episode 8 - Church and State
    7.4/10(729 votes)

    #4 - Church and State

    S1:E8

    Mare uncovers a story that pits the Truth Teller against its owner; Ned is embarrassed by his past.

    Director:Matt Sohn
    Writer:Ben Philippe

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  5. The Paper Season 1 Episode 9 - Matching Ponchos
    7.3/10(701 votes)

    #5 - Matching Ponchos

    S1:E9

    Ned and Mare take a long road trip to interview a possible cult leader; Ken goes on an apology tour.

    Director:David Rogers
    Writer:L.E. Correia

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  6. The Paper Season 1 Episode 7 - I Love You
    7.2/10(766 votes)

    #6 - I Love You

    S1:E7

    With Marv camped out in the newsroom, the staff's unresolved attitudes toward authority bubble up.

    Director:Jennifer Celotta
    Writer:Alex Edelman

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of The Paper

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  7. The Paper Season 1 Episode 3 - Buddy and the Dude
    7.1/10(956 votes)

    #7 - Buddy and the Dude

    S1:E3

    Ned tags along on Mare's consumer sting story after Esmeralda gets in his head.

    Director:Yana Gorskaya
    Writers:Patrick Kang, Michael Levin

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  8. The Paper Season 1 Episode 4 - TTT vs the Blogger
    7.1/10(860 votes)

    #8 - TTT vs the Blogger

    S1:E4

    Ned and Esmeralda go against a high school blog; Mare and Oscar cover a teacher's last production.

    Director:Paul Lieberstein
    Writer:Amanda Rosenberg

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  9. The Paper Season 1 Episode 2 - The Five W's
    6.8/10(1129 votes)

    #9 - The Five W's

    S1:E2

    Ned starts slowly with his volunteer crew until Esmeralda forces them to scramble for stories.

    Director:Ken Kwapis
    Writers:Greg Daniels, Michael Koman

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  10. The Paper Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
    6.6/10(1508 votes)

    #10 - Pilot

    S1:E1

    A documentary crew discovers a historic Midwestern newspaper and the publisher trying to revive it.

    Director:Greg Daniels
    Writers:Greg Daniels, Michael Koman

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Best Episodes Summary

"The Ohio Journalism Awards" is the best rated episode of "The Paper". It scored 8.1/10 based on 988 votes. Directed by Jeffrey Blitz and written by Paul Lieberstein, it aired on 9/4/2025. This episode scored 0.7 points higher than the second highest rated, "Scam Alert!".