Forget The Paper, Netflix’s New 14-Episode Mockumentary is Officially The Next Office

Forget Dunder Mifflin’s paper shortages and the Toledo Truth-Teller’s newsroom headaches. Netflix has found another workplace ripe for comic disaster. Minimum Wage, a new 14-episode mockumentary about teenagers barely keeping a pizza shop afloat, premiered on October 26, 2026, bringing the awkward interviews, disastrous management, and workplace absurdity of The Office to a younger generation.

Created by Jeremy Garelick and Will Phelps, the comedy follows employees juggling school, meager paychecks, and an eccentric boss threatening their livelihoods. The timing invites comparisons with Peacock’s The Paper, which extended The Office universe into a struggling newspaper. Although Minimum Wage has no narrative connection to either series, its incompetent authority figures, camera-conscious employees, and painfully recognizable workplace frustrations make it a compelling contender for the next mockumentary obsession.

Can Minimum Wage Outshine The Office and The Paper?

Credit: John P. Fleenor/Peacock

Minimum Wage borrows the playbook that made The Office (2005–2013) a sitcom juggernaut: uncomfortable camera glances, confessional interviews, and bosses blissfully unaware of their incompetence. But where Michael Scott’s employees endured corporate monotony, Slice Club’s teenagers contend with lousy wages, demanding customers, and service-industry burnout.

Peacock’s The Paper takes another route. Its second season, released in September 2026, follows Domhnall Gleeson’s Ned Sampson as he attempts to revive the Toledo Truth Teller. Creator Greg Daniels explained to Peacock that limited resources force Ned to recruit employees from unrelated departments as reporters. Unlike Minimum Wage, the spinoff shares The Office’s fictional universe, bringing back Oscar Nuñez as Oscar Martinez.

The creative distinction is equally striking. The Office transformed mundane professional relationships into an emotional investment spanning nine seasons. The Paper builds on that legacy through newsroom camaraderie, while Minimum Wage favors shorter episodes, teenage impulsiveness, and punchlines shaped by internet comedy.

That approach gives Netflix’s newcomer an unruly personality, although early reviews suggest the dough still needs kneading. Decider recommended streaming it, highlighting its ensemble chemistry despite uneven characterization. What’s on Netflix was less enthusiastic, finding its comic situations more memorable than its characters. Minimum Wage arguably offers a fresher generational perspective than The Paper, but it has yet to demonstrate the emotional depth that made The Office a cultural fixture. With another 14 episodes included in Netflix’s original order, however, it has room to grow beyond its sketch-comedy roots.

Minimum Wage Release Date, Plot, and Cast

Credit: Netflix

Netflix released the first 14 episodes of Minimum Wage on October 26, 2026, expanding an American High web series that debuted in May 2024. Reportedly produced for less than $2,000, the original shorts accumulated over 30 million social-media views, according to Netflix’s Tudum. Set inside Slice Club, a struggling neighborhood pizzeria, the series follows teenagers navigating romantic disasters, demanding customers, and managers whose authority exceeds their competence. Trouble escalates when the restaurant’s eccentric owner, Mr. Sylvester, considers selling the business.

Grace Reiter stars as Grace, the comparatively responsible manager, alongside Aidan Micho, Hyde Healy, Julia DiCesare, Luke Burke, Ryan Micho, and Tommy Armstrong. Fresh Off the Boat star Randall Park portrays Terry Sylvester, the eccentric founder of the Slice Club franchise. The Netflix episode guide promises a disastrous drama-club party, a public breakup that divides the staff, a controversial phone ban, and a lottery-ticket scheme that sends everyone’s ambitions spiraling.

The show’s transition from viral shorts to television also preserved its collaborative spirit. Cast members contributed to writing and directing, bringing their firsthand understanding of teenage humor to the production. In a September 2026 interview with Variety, Phelps explained American High’s approach to emerging talent:

Reiter similarly described the early production as “very scrappy, very homemade,” reflecting the modest beginnings of a project that eventually secured Netflix backing. Rather than stretching a conventional sitcom into smaller installments, Garelick and Phelps adapted a digital-first format for streaming. The result is a workplace comedy that moves quickly, occasionally stumbles, and benefits from its young ensemble’s creative freedom.

Could Minimum Wage become Gen Z’s answer to The Office, or does The Paper still have the upper hand? Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow FandomWire for more releases, news, and streaming updates.

All episodes of Minimum Wage are now streaming on Netflix.