‘The Paper’ on NBC, War Stories of Special Forces, Marines in Training, PBS ‘Salute to Service,’ Meet the ‘Bat-Fam’

The Paper

Sharing the DNA and even the same fictional camera crew of NBC’s beloved The Office, a new mockumentary from Greg Daniels strikes a similar universal chord by introducing another workplace of amusing would-bes and never-wases at a struggling newspaper in Toledo, Ohio. In a still-rare case of a streaming series making its way to network TV, The Paper stars Domhnall Gleeson as Ned Sampson, the earnest and green new editor-in-chief of the near-death Toledo Truth Teller, who’s greeted upon arrival by being asked which paper he works for: “Paper or toilet?” (The newspaper, which once occupied its entire building, now shares a floor with a more profitable toilet paper company owned by the same paper conglomerate.) Ned finds a kindred spirit in the underemployed Mare (a sly Chelsea Frei) and an instant nemesis in the vainglorious Esmeralda Grant (Sabrina Impacciatore from The White Lotus), who resents the noble interloper. (See the full review.)

The Warfighters: Battle Stories

To mark Veterans Day, History Channel presents what it describes as a reimagining of a 2017 miniseries, offering first-person accounts from members of elite Special Operations Forces who fought on the front lines of the war on terror following 9/11. “Certain people are called to do certain things, and that’s what we do,” says one of the warriors. Hosted by retired Col. Michail “Gus” Huerter, the two-hour special blends archival footage with recreations as Army Rangers, Green Berets, Navy SEALs, and Marines share their harrowing stories.

Marines

From Amblin Entertainment’s documentary unit and producers of Band of Brothers, a four-part docuseries follows members of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit as they train for combat readiness in the Pacific. “With how advanced weapons are getting, never has a battlefield been more lethal,” says a unit leader.

Salute to Service: A Veterans Day Celebration

Country-music star Trace Adkins hosts and performs, alongside the U.S. Army Field Band, in a musical special saluting the troops while veterans tell stories from World War II to the present day. Adkins is joined by jazz vocalist Kurt Elling and opera superstar Angel Blue. Followed by the documentary The Last 600 Meters: The Battles of Najaf and Fallujah (10/9c), featuring first-person accounts from soldiers who survived the deadliest battles of the 2004 Iraq War.

Bat-Fam

Holy handful, Batman! An animated family comedy, following the success of the 2023 holiday movie Merry Little Batman, depicts the hectic home life of Gotham City’s legendary superhero Batman (voiced by Luke Wilson) and his chip-off-the-old-cape offspring Damian, aka “Little Batman” (Yonas Kibreab). New to Wayne Manor: Alicia Pennyworth (London Hughes), the mischievous grand-niece of the devoted Alfred (James Cromwell), reformed supervillain Claire (Haley Tju), and up in the belfry, Man-Bat (Saturday Night Live alum Bobby Moynihan). All 10 episodes are available for binge-watching.

INSIDE MONDAY TV:

• Sesame Street (streaming on Netflix, check local listings for PBS): A reimagined 56th season of the children’s-TV classic drops in three volumes, with episodes available the same day to PBS stations. NASCAR champ Bubba Wallace is the guest star in the first batch of episodes.
• St. Denis Medical (8/7c, NBC): While Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey) adjusts to the noise generated by the full-body scanner she brought into the hospital, Ron’s (David Alan Grier) teasing of Alex (Allison Tolman) gets out of control. And true to form, Bruce (Josh Lawson) overreacts to his scanning results.
• The Neighborhood (8/7c, CBS): It’s anything but a restful night at the orchestra when Dave (Max Greenfield) brings the Butlers along to a classical concert he won tickets to at a silent auction. Followed by DMV (8:30/7:30c), where Colette (Harriet Dyer) gives her crush Noa (Alex Tarrant) an anonymous gift after being accused of taking credit for doing nice things.
• Monday Night Football (8:15 pm/ET, ABC and ESPN): The Philadelphia Eagles face the Green Bay Packers.
• Honest Renovations with Jessica Alba + Lizzy Mathis (streaming on The Roku Channel): A holiday edition of the home makeover show transforms the backyard of a firefighter into a winter wonderland when he finally gets to spend Christmas at home instead of at the fire station.
• Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth (streaming on Hulu): A two-part docuseries explores the tragic circumstances that led scandal-plagued British TV presenter Caroline Flack (Love Island) to take her own life in 2020.