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The Worst Episodes of The Paper

Every episode of The Paper ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of The Paper!

Binge this in 8h 59m•Peaking at 8.0/10

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 Worst Episode
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    The Paper Season 1 Episode 7 - I Love You
    5.9/10(7 votes)

    #1 - 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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  2. The Paper Season 1 Episode 8 - Church and State
    6.2/10(5 votes)

    #2 - 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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  3. The Paper Season 1 Episode 4 - TTT vs the Blogger
    6.7/10(7 votes)

    #3 - 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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  4. The Paper Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
    6.8/10(13 votes)

    #4 - 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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  5. The Paper Season 1 Episode 5 - Scam Alert!
    6.8/10(7 votes)

    #5 - 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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  6. The Paper Season 1 Episode 10 - The Ohio Journalism Awards
    6.8/10(9 votes)

    #6 - 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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  7. The Paper Season 1 Episode 2 - The Five W's
    6.9/10(10 votes)

    #7 - 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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  8. The Paper Season 1 Episode 6 - Churnalism
    6.9/10(7 votes)

    #8 - 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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  9. The Paper Season 2 Episode 10 - The NS Board
    7.0/10(1 votes)

    #9 - The NS Board

    S2:E10

    Ned and Detrick try to put out a story, but it'll require sacrifices; Esmeralda exposes prejudice.

    Director:Jeffrey Blitz
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. The Paper Season 1 Episode 9 - Matching Ponchos
    7.1/10(8 votes)

    #10 - 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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  11. The Paper Season 1 Episode 3 - Buddy and the Dude
    7.2/10(9 votes)

    #11 - 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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  12. The Paper Season 2 Episode 1 - The Best of Us
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #12 - The Best of Us

    S2:E1

    Something unexpected overshadows TTT's wins on the Monday after the Ohio Journalism Awards.

    Director:Matt Sohn
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. The Paper Season 2 Episode 2 - Weekend Ned
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #13 - Weekend Ned

    S2:E2

    Ned whisks Mare away for a romantic weekend; Adam and Adelola are left in charge of the paper.

    Director:Greg Daniels
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. The Paper Season 2 Episode 3 - Hearst's Mistress
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #14 - Hearst's Mistress

    S2:E3

    Ned and Mare search for a journalistic crusade and find themselves at her apartment.

    Director:David Rogers
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. The Paper Season 2 Episode 4 - Impressing a Cop
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #15 - Impressing a Cop

    S2:E4

    Eager to befriend a cop, Ned and the team visit the gun range, where Mare stumbles upon a new story.

    Director:Jennifer Celotta
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. The Paper Season 2 Episode 5 - Dueling Pencils
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #16 - Dueling Pencils

    S2:E5

    Ned and Mare co-host a podcast; Esmeralda pays the price for embarrassing the company.

    Director:Tazbah Chavez
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. The Paper Season 2 Episode 6 - 125 Years Young
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #17 - 125 Years Young

    S2:E6

    The paper celebrates its 125th birthday and gets slammed; Esmeralda gets creative with HR training.

    Director:Yana Gorskaya
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. The Paper Season 2 Episode 7 - Tornado Alert
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #18 - Tornado Alert

    S2:E7

    When a tornado threatens Toledo, TTT debuts push notifications; Travis and Adelola storm chase.

    Director:Jason Woliner
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. The Paper Season 2 Episode 8 - Secret Team
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #19 - Secret Team

    S2:E8

    Ned forms a secret team to investigate a possible crime by powerful advertisers.

    Director:Claire Scanlon
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. The Paper Season 2 Episode 9 - Who's Marv Marving?
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #20 - Who's Marv Marving?

    S2:E9

    Ned tries to protect Mare from rumors; Esmeralda interviews to be the consort of a powerful man.

    Director:Paul Lieberstein
    Writer:Unknown

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Worst Episodes Summary

"I Love You" is the worst rated episode of "The Paper". It scored 5.9/10 based on 7 votes. Directed by Jennifer Celotta and written by Alex Edelman, it aired on 9/4/2025. This episode scored 0.3 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Church and State".