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Last week, something terrible happened. Well, a lot of terrible things happened, but this is merely one of them: Shows about serial killers returned to TV. Ryan Murphy’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story premieres next week on Netflix, and Peacock is already heavily promoting its upcoming limited series Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy. Maybe it’s just me, but I have a strong aversion to these sensationalized true-crime stories. I’ve truly never once pressed play thinking, I’m so glad I took the time to reconsider this horrible murderer in a new light. Remember when The Office’s simple, will-they-won’t-they workplace romance was all we needed to feel fulfilled by TV? If only I could watch Jim propose to Pam at a gas station with new eyes!
Sadly, it’s not so simple nowadays. As veteran entertainment journalist Anthony Breznican pointed out the morning after the 2025 Emmy Awards last weekend, America can’t get enough of shows about “monsters of varying degrees and depths of depravity.” Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story—there’s Murphy again—was nominated for eleven Emmys. Then, Adolescence’s dark story about a thirteen-year-old who murders one of his classmates swept the limited series category with six major wins. Viewers seem to crave a little blood before bed—a scary thought, I know. Hell, I just want to end the night feeling a little better after whatever chaos kicked me down throughout the day. That’s why I had a better time watching another awards show: The Ohio Journalism Awards.
The fictional ceremony from The Paper took place in the season finale of Peacock’s The Office spin-off, which follows The Toledo Truth-Teller crew as they seek to restore the newspaper’s journalistic integrity. If you missed it, NBC announced that the network will air the series on linear cable channels this November. (Though be warned, I’m about to discuss the finale here).
The Truth-Teller ends the finale by bringing home the ceremony’s most prestigious award for Outstanding Print Coverage. Mare Pritti (Chelsea Frei) wins an award for her investigative story that uncovers the city’s sewage problem earlier in the season. Plus, Oscar Nuñez—who reprises his Office role as Oscar Martinez—wins for a new puzzle he designs in the paper’s games section. These are simple awards for a local paper, and yet it means the world to them.
Their victory also shares a lot in common with The Studio’s celebratory season 1 finale, which marked another small win in the face of a corrupt entertainment industry. So did The Pitt’s win at the Emmy Awards, when actor Noah Wyle thanked the real-life healthcare professionals who tirelessly work to save our lives day in and day out.
If I have any hopes for next year’s Emmys, it’s that we see a bit more from the heartwarming Pitts and Papers of the world and a lot less from the Monsters. In fact, I’d like to prematurely submit Sabrina Impacciatore’s Esmeralda Grand to win every award.
The former White Lotus star plays the Truth-Teller’s interim managing editor and the most Michael Scott-like antagonist in The Paper’s office. In one of her funniest moments, episode 5’s “Scam Alert,” she spends the half-hour episode childishly refusing to admit that she’s been catfished. And when The Truth-Teller wins big at the Ohio Journalism Awards, she runs on stage to accept the award as if it were an Oscar—twirling in her bright red gown because she thought Ned (Domhnall Gleeson) said “spinning” instead of “winning.”
“I hope there are going to be more situations where the script inspires me to go crazy,” Impacciatore told Esquire after The Paper was renewed for season 2. “I would like to do more animal [impressions] because I’m a child inside. I would love to see Esmeralda in love more and more—but always in love with the wrong people. I like to imagine what she could do next, where her mind could bring her.”
I needed Impacciatore’s comedic chops this week, because it’s been a brutal one. We lost Robert Redford, a light in Hollywood that inspired independent filmmakers to reach the highest honors in the entertainment industry. Viewers also briefly lost another late-night host when ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel off the air, just because his show holds truth to the people in power. Thankfully, Kimmel will be back on the air this week. But as many other important media institutions lose funding and support in the real world, even fictional wins like The Paper’s feel inspiring.
That’s precisely what we need on TV: More of Esmeralda Grand making a fool of herself. More actors performing animal noises to make us laugh, and more space on stage for the comedic roles that brighten up our day.
You can read our full interview with Impacciatore here. For now, I’ll leave you with this quote from the actress about playing the funniest character on TV.
“It’s a beautiful feeling that makes me cry,” she said. “It’s a cry of joy, and feeling understood, and feeling less lonely. For an artist, there is nothing bigger than feeling loved.”
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