Eagle-Eyed ‘The Office’ Fans Point Out Casting Discrepancy In ‘The Paper’ Spinoff

The Paper, the long-awaited spinoff to NBC’s beloved sitcom The Office premiered on Peacock last week. And some fans couldn’t help but notice that one of the new cast members looked suspiciously familiar.

Already, the series revives one character from its predecessor to tie the shows together with accountant Oscar Martinez, played by Oscar Nuñez, who now works for the fictional Toledo Truth-Teller. While there’s also a brief cameo from Bob Vance of Vance Refrigeration, played by Robert R. Shafer, in the premiere episode.

But with nine seasons and over 200 episodes of The Office, as well as countless actors who have appeared as guest stars or in cameos, it only makes sense that there might be some crossover in the fictional universe. As such, some perceptive fans recognized actor and comedian Allan Havey, who plays Marv Puttman, CEO of the Ohio-based paper company, Enervate.

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Before playing Marv, Havey was best known to The Office fans as the character Henry Bruegger, who appears in two season 9 episodes as Dwight Schrute’s neighboring Brussels sprout farmer. While negotiating the purchase of a tractor, Dwight begins dating Henry’s daughter, Esther Bruegger. Though Dwight is initially suspicious that Henry is using his daughter to take advantage of him, Esther later discourages him from signing the contract.

As fans spotted the casting inconsistency, some took to social media to confirm their detective work. “Hey, wasn’t that Esther’s father from ‘The Farm?'” asked one Reddit user, referring to the 2013 episode, along with a photo of the actor.

Hey, wasn't that Esther's father from The Farm pilot?
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Other fans sounded off on a clip on the Peacock official Instagram account. “No one pointed out that the main boss of The Paper is the same guy that plays Esther’s dad from season 9. Good job,” observed one user, per Us Weekly.

However, another fan defended the series by retorting, “Bruh, they changed Pam’s parents like three times, it ain’t that deep.”

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But the casting is not exactly hiding in plain sight. Over on the NBC Insider blog, the network also acknowledged that Havey previously had a role on The Office before joining the cast of The Paper.

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Long before appearing in The Office and The Paper, Havey got his start in show business as a stand-up comedian in the early 1980s. He’s also appeared onscreen in television series such as Seinfeld, Mad Men, and Billions.

But aside from minor casting drama, The Paper premiered to generally favorable reviews, garnering an 83 percent fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. The series has already been renewed for a second season by Peacock one day before it premiered on the streamer.

In addition to Havey, the rest of the cast includes Domhnall Gleeson, Sabrina Impacciatore (The White Lotus), Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young, and Tim Key.