The Office fans tuned into The Paper for connections to the original show — but did you notice the guest spot from a fan-favorite Last Man Standing star?
Season 1, which premiered Thursday, September 4, introduced Us to the Toledo Truth-Teller, a Midwestern newspaper on its last legs until an overzealous cardboard salesman turned editor in chief (Domhnall Gleeson‘s Ned) steps in. The cast also includes Sabrina Impacciatore, Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young, Tim Key and The Office alum Oscar Nuñez.
In a blink-and-you-miss-it appearance, Edelman’s onscreen wife was revealed to be played by Molly Ephraim as Summer. Ephraim, 39, is best known for her role as Mandy Baxter on ABC’s sitcom Last Man Standing. She was part of the main cast during the show’s original run from 2011 to 2017 before its move to Fox after its sixth season.
Ephraim was subsequently recast, with Molly McCook taking over the role until the series finale.
‘Last Man Standing’ Cast: Where Are They Now?
“When the show was canceled … [Molly] got involved in some different things, so when [Last Man Standing] came back, she was not able to do it,” EP Matt Berry told reporters in 2018. “It’s unfortunate. We love her deeply. She’s a big part of who we were. But [it’s] exciting for us to look around and see who we can get to play that character. We want someone to come in and not play Molly Ephraim. We want somebody to come in and play Mandy. We’ve seen a lot of great actresses.”
After the finale, showrunner Kevin Abbott was asked whether there was ever a discussion of bringing Ephraim back in some capacity. (Abbott also weighed in on Alexandra Krosney, who played Kristin in season 1 before being recast with Amanda Fuller.)
“You know, it’s funny. We actually did [consider it],” Abbott told TVLine in 2021. “At the beginning of the year, Fox had asked, ‘Can you do something that’s promotable at the start of the season?’ We felt like the time jump was promotable, but it’s tough. We were kicking around ideas prior to landing on [Home Improvement‘s] Tim Taylor coming on the show, and that was in there.”
Which ‘The Office’ Alums Returned for ‘The Paper’?
Both Ephraim and Krosney “would have had to be OK coming back,” with Abbott adding, “I’m not certain that would have been accomplished. One of those [departures] was not our decision … [and] I don’t think attitudes have softened during the last four years.”
He continued: “We kicked around some funny ideas, and if there was one that was funny enough to justify it, I would have given it a shot. I would have called some people, but we never really had it. And then once we [landed on] Tim Taylor coming on, it just felt like that’d be too many meta jokes in a season.”
In addition to The Paper, Ephraim has appeared in Brockmire, Halt and Catch Fire, Casual, Perry Mason and A League of Their Own since Last Man Standing. Ephraim’s The Paper costar Edelman recently told Us Weekly about his wishes for their season 2 scenes.
“She shines and she was a joy to be with on set,” he gushed. “She was so brilliant. Hopefully you get to see more of her in season 2. It was a blast.”
The Paper season 1 is streaming now on Peacock.
