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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!

Worst episode
S1E1 Pilot
6.61,840 votes
Best episode
S1E10 The Ohio Journalism Awards
8.11,246 votes
Top season
Season 2
7.4avg
Binge time
9h 0m
20 episodes
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons2

All12

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    The Paper Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
    6.6/10(1840 votes)

    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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  2. The Paper Season 1 Episode 2 - The Five W's
    6.7/10(1376 votes)

    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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  3. The Paper Season 1 Episode 3 - Buddy and the Dude
    7.1/10(1186 votes)

    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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  4. The Paper Season 1 Episode 4 - TTT vs the Blogger
    7.1/10(1070 votes)

    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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  5. The Paper Season 1 Episode 7 - I Love You
    7.1/10(970 votes)

    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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  6. The Paper Season 2 Episode 3 - Hearst's Mistress
    7.1/10(337 votes)

    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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  7. The Paper Season 1 Episode 9 - Matching Ponchos
    7.2/10(908 votes)

    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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  8. The Paper Season 2 Episode 5 - Dueling Pencils
    7.2/10(307 votes)

    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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  9. The Paper Season 2 Episode 8 - Secret Team
    7.2/10(266 votes)

    S2:E8

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

    Director:Claire Scanlon
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. The Paper Season 1 Episode 6 - Churnalism
    7.3/10(1004 votes)

    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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  11. The Paper Season 1 Episode 8 - Church and State
    7.3/10(935 votes)

    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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  12. The Paper Season 2 Episode 6 - 125 Years Young
    7.4/10(292 votes)

    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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  13. The Paper Season 2 Episode 2 - Weekend Ned
    7.4/10(363 votes)

    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 1 - The Best of Us
    7.4/10(416 votes)

    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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  15. The Paper Season 1 Episode 5 - Scam Alert!
    7.4/10(1093 votes)

    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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  16. The Paper Season 2 Episode 4 - Impressing a Cop
    7.5/10(335 votes)

    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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  17. The Paper Season 2 Episode 7 - Tornado Alert
    7.6/10(295 votes)

    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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  18. The Paper Season 2 Episode 9 - Who's Marv Marving?
    7.7/10(267 votes)

    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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  19. The Paper Season 2 Episode 10 - The NS Board
    7.9/10(283 votes)

    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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  20. The Paper Season 1 Episode 10 - The Ohio Journalism Awards
    8.1/10(1246 votes)

    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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Worst Episodes Summary

"Pilot" is the worst rated episode of The Paper. It scored 6.6/10 from 1,840 votes. Directed by Greg Daniels and written by Greg Daniels, Michael Koman, it aired on September 4, 2025. This episode scored 0.1 points lower than the second lowest rated, "The Five W's".

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