By Christofer Hamilton

Peacock is betting on familiarity. This week it premiered “The Paper,” a spinoff set in the same universe as “The Office,” but instead of a Scranton paper company, the show centers on a struggling small Midwestern newspaper. So far, “The Office” franchise has mainly consisted of country specific adaptations of the original British series (The American version being the best known, and the Australian version being the most recent).  Will a different approach with “The Paper” result in a show that is more impactful than numerous country specific adaptations to date?

To understand the expectations for “The Paper,” it’s worth revisiting the track record of its predecessor. During its NBC run, “The Office” never dominated traditional Nielsen ratings the way many might assume with the 20/20 hindsight of the show’s success today. Its peak came in Season 5, averaging just over 9 million viewers, and it never cracked the top 10 shows overall. Even in the coveted 18–49 demo, “The Office” peaked at #11, behind more conventional sitcoms like “The Big Bang Theory” and “Two and a Half Men.”