‘The Paper’ Is Set in Toledo, Ohio. Here’s What Toledoans Think.

In the first promo image released for “The Office” spinoff “The Paper,” actor Domhnall Gleeson stands on a desk while speaking to an office of employees. 

But while most viewers’ eyes would be drawn to Gleeson, Stephen Gullette zeroed in on the photo’s bottom right corner. 

Next to a red desk chair, slightly out of focus, is the edge of what appears to be a gray metal cabinet. On it are two magnets — one pink, the other yellow. Both are shaped like Ohio.

As the retail brand JŪPMODE’s marketing and social media specialist, Gullette sent the magnets to “The Paper’s” crew over a year ago at the show’s request for Ohio-themed objects.

When the show’s trailer dropped in August, Gullette had his eyes peeled for JŪPMODE products again.

“I was trying to stop and zoom in every scene,” he said.  

Twenty years after “The Office” introduced the world to Dunder Mifflin, the same mockumentary crew is headed to Toledo, Ohio, to film the ins and outs of a local newspaper. The series launches its first ten-episode season Sept. 4. 

Gleeson plays Ned Sampson, the new editor-in-chief of the Toledo Truth Teller. Unlike Michael Scott in “The Office,” he’s there to help a group of volunteer reporters right the ship, not sink it. 

Although Toledo might have more residents than Scranton, Pa. does, it’s still only Ohio’s fourth-largest city behind Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati. 

Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti said when “The Office” first aired, some viewers didn’t know Scranton was a real place. 

People may have heard of Toledo, but it’s developed a reputation for being behind the times. In other words, it’s often the butt of the joke. 

“A lot of people pick Toledo as an example of when you want to travel to some type of geographic armpit,” Matt Foss, a professor of theatre at the University of Toledo, said.

But native Toledoan Riley Runnells said she thinks “The Paper” will be more good-natured.  

When she was the Toledo City Paper’s editor last year, she received an email from the show asking if an actor could shadow her. 

She didn’t realize the actor would be Gleeson himself.

“I was very starstruck, because I’m a huge fan of his and have seen pretty much all of his movies and some bootlegs of his stage work,” Runnells said. 

She said Gleeson visited the City Paper’s office and spoke to her for over an hour. He asked about newsroom dynamics, her experience as an editor and why she loved Toledo.

Still, even if the show ends up poking fun at the city, residents say they aren’t worried. 

“We can take a joke,” Michael DeSanto said. “You know, we’re Toledo. We’re kind of used to it.”

DeSanto is the executive director of FilmToledo, an organization that helps crews scout filming locations in the area. “The Paper’s” wardrobe department called him last May to ask about Toledo fashion trends. 

Considering himself “not a fashion person at all,” DeSanto referred the department to JŪPMODE and Gullette, who, in addition to the magnets, sent drinkware, stickers, postcards and other branded merchandise.  

For his part, DeSanto told the crew about Toledo traditions, such as Jeep ducking and the “Christmas Weed.” 

He also mentioned common complaints like potholes. 

“It’s specifically Toledo, but it’s also universal,” he said. “I’m really hoping that they were able to incorporate a lot of that into the show.” 

Beyond Easter eggs, Foss said Toledo’s reputation makes it an ideal vehicle for stories about people trying to recover after a fall from grace. That identity, he said, comes from people losing manufacturing jobs and needing to reinvent themselves. 

“There’s an opportunity to shine a light on the stories of how people can really fight through these difficulties,” Foss said. “Those usually find their audience because so many people recognize that or want affirmation that hope is possible.”

Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz sees Toledo as a metaphor for all of flyover country, or parts of the Midwest people pass through to get somewhere else. 

But while cities on the west and east coasts appear more often in the media, Kapszukiewicz said cities like Toledo and Scranton are more relatable to the average viewer. 

Even classics like “Friends” and “Seinfeld,” where characters live in comfortable apartments in New York City with minimal income, can appear unrealistic, he said. 

“You can say a lot of negative things about Scranton and Toledo — they ain’t phony,” Kapszukiewicz said. 

Kapszukiewicz is no stranger to Toledo on the small screen. He was the inspiration for Mayor CupsOfCabbage in the sitcom “A.P. Bio,” which aired from 2018 to 2021 and was also set in Toledo. 

“A.P. Bio” follows Harvard professor Jack Griffin, who returns to his hometown of Toledo to teach high school biology. Mike O’Brien, the show’s creator, grew up in southeast Michigan, about 20 minutes away from Toledo. 

O’Brien said he could have set “A.P. Bio” in any Midwestern city, from Cincinnati to Dubuque, Iowa. He picked Toledo due to its familiarity. 

Although most of the series was filmed in Los Angeles, Episode 12 of Season 1 was shot in Toledo. It features the Toledo Museum of Art and the Maumee Indoor Theater, as well as a Walleye hockey game. 

Throughout the show, Jack belittles Toledo. O’Brien said shots of those landmarks show how wrong he is about the city.

“When we went to shoot there, I wanted to show it as beautiful,” O’Brien said. “I have nothing but the best memories of growing up near there.” 

“The Paper’s” local references come in the form of merchandise from businesses like JŪPMODE. Barry Bagels, Balance Pan-Asian Grille and Black Kite Coffee mailed branded to-go products. Barry Bagels also sent a bobblehead of chain founder Barry Greenblatt.  

Black Kite Coffee owner Kristin Kiser said any form of exposure benefits small businesses. But for her, this time feels different from the rest. 

“It makes everyone feel like they’re part of something bigger, to know that they were involved in something that has national exposure,” Kiser said. 

Kapszukiewicz said he would be satisfied if “The Paper” reached even a fraction of “The Office’s” success. He’s spoken with Cognetti about how the latter show influenced Scranton, which now hosts an annual “Office”-themed 5K and displays murals around the city.

Toledo’s most notable reference on television appeared in “M*A*S*H,” when Corporal Maxwell Klinger, played by Toledo native Jamie Farr, mentioned the Mud Hens and Tony Packo’s.

That was nearly fifty years ago. Kapszukiewicz knows the spotlight doesn’t come around often, but he’s prepared. 

“As they said in ‘Sunset Boulevard,’ we’ve got to be ready for our close-up,” he said.