'The Paper' Season 2: Chelsea Frei teases what's next for Mare and Ned's relationship

Elisabetta BianchiniThu, September 10, 2026 at 3:33 AM UTC

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After leaving fans with a massive cliffhanger, going into Season 2 of The Paper (premiering Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 9 p.m. ET on Showcase and StackTV, with new episodes released weekly), the big question is what happens after The Toledo Truth Teller swept the Ohio Journalism Awards, and Ned, played by Domhnall Gleeson, and Mare, played by Chelsea Frei, kiss. As Frei shared with Yahoo Canada in Toronto, the Season 1 finale is an episode the cast “always talk about.”

“There was something about being in this hotel where we were shooting, all together, it felt kind of like this fever dream, not just in the show, but in life,” Frei said. “We're ending this season that meant so much to us, all together in one place. So, in weird ways, it felt like a real award show. … I have my award in my house … and it's downstairs in our living room.”

Mare and Ned: ‘We talked about how far we wanted to go with them’

For Ned and Mare’s relationship, in the Season 2 premiere, Mare says that it’s almost like the awards night never happened, as she looks at Ned, who has essentially ignored her for the day. But then they share a kiss in the hallway, with Ned happy they successfully kept their relationship a secret from the rest of the team.

“The entire season we talked about how far we wanted to go with them, what felt natural. That's the amazing thing about [co-creators and showrunners] Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, they're so collaborative. So we would almost have like weekly meetings between them, myself and Domhnall, where we just touch base and be like, ‘What are you guys feeling about where they're at right now? Does it feel like one of them would acknowledge this?’” Frei said.

“They also both love The Paper so much, and wanted it to succeed. So I think it's this constant back and forth of feeling something there, and also being like, is that going to get in the way of this special thing that we're both so passionate about?”

But aside from Mare’s romantic life, Frei shared that Season 2 of The Paper marks her character tackling her “next set of challenges” professionally.

“I think the first season is such a huge journey for her in falling back in love with journalism and feeling like she actually can do something with that love. Whereas I think when it started, she'd kind of given up. And then she meets Ned, and he revitalizes the paper and … ignites this fire in her,” Frei said. “So for the second season, I was just excited to explore that more with her confidence building, and also that leading to maybe her failing more, or seeing her in this next set of challenges.”

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(L/R) US actor Melvin Gregg, US actor Oscar Nunez, Italian actress Sabrina Impacciatore, US actress Chelsea Frei, British actress Gbemisola Ikumelo, Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson, US actor Alex Edelman, US actress Ramona Young and US actor Eric Rahill attend the series premere of Peacock's "The Paper" at Harmony Gold theater in Los Angeles on August 27, 2025. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)‘Staying in your lane’ for the best comedy

So much of the success of The Paper rests on each character’s unique comedy within this ensemble. As Frei described, it’s about “staying in your lane.”

“Esmeralda [played by Sabrina Impacciatore] and Mare are so different, but I think that's also what makes it really funny when they're in a scene together,” Frei said. “Mare, I always felt like from minute one of getting cast, that … part of my job is to be a little bit of a lens for which the audience can see everybody through.”

“It's hard because sometimes, I'm a comedy actor, you want to get the biggest laugh, you want to have the funniest line, and I think what I've learned on this show is let other people shine. And even a look back to camera can be all you need.”

While Frei says she feels “at home” playing Mare, she would love the opportunity to get into her background in the army on the show.

“I'd love to kind of like explore her past, whether that's somebody who she was in the army with or something like that. I think that could be fun,” Frei said.

The Paper Season 2 (John P. Fleenor / Peacock)

As we enter another season of the show, The Paper has gotten further away from The Office, the American version also created by Greg Daniels.

“I think letting that go has been so helpful in creating better work, and I think as we let that go and be like, oh, now we're finding our own tone, and these characters are so different, I think that's the great thing,” Frei said. “The comparisons come, but I think … people are just starting to see the characters as their own people.

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”