Five Reason To Binge-Watch Superstore
You know a show is good when it is casually dubbed as “the heir of The Office” by critics. That is the case with NBC’s sitcom, Superstore. Well, it’s incomparable because it has its own distinct flavors, but if we’re talking about humor, it definitely is above there with The Office. It’s a masterclass in playful characters and chaotically hilarious subplots!
Superstore is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC. It follows a group of employees working at Cloud 9, a fictional big-box chain store in St. Louis, Missouri. The series was created and produced by Justin Spitzer, starring America Ferrera, Ben Feldman, Lauren Ash and many more. It was later on picked up by streaming giants Netflix and Hulu.
To prove the show’s beauty, here are five reasons to binge-watch Superstore:
Diverse cast
Superstore’s hugely diverse cast is one of TV’s best! During the first few season, there were only 7 core characters, but as the stories progressed and gave way to more subplots, more and more actors became part of the semi-central crew at Cloud 9. Of the seven series regulars, four are people of color, and that diversity extends to the recurring characters as well. The cast features LGBTQ characters, of non-Christian religions, different body types, and characters who bridge all sides of the class divide. It’s something that the show very pointedly discusses.
Mateo, Cloud 9’s floor manager and one of the core characters, is an undocumented Filipino immigrant and a gay man. Garrett, a sarcastic and indifferent Cloud 9 associate, is a proud wheelchair user. Sandra, a meek employee, is a Naïve Hawaiian. They even have a 90-year-old employee named Myrtle! These characters represent the relevant heritages and communities that their actors belong to in real life.
It’s really funny
Superstore walks the fine line of balance between casual sarcasm, awkward situations, and funny outcomes. You can’t help but find the humor in there. They are not afraid to go overboard with the situations. There is a point where one character loses her boyfriend to another one, simply because they do a coin toss for him. It’s so stupid and absurd that it’s so entertaining!
The delivery of lines by the actors are smooth and so casual, you can’t help but doubt if it’s actually scripted or not. The characters have distinct characteristics and schticks that they commit to, which improves the humor. Actually, they are the humor! These characters’ personalities are so overboard and comical, and you will be floored to laughter. Trust me when I saw that Superstore pulls off some of the funniest lines because of the way they approach their humor.
A lot of subplots to follow
Superstore is never content to stay put conceptually. It keeps expanding its storytelling to different branches and subplots. This makes it even more interesting, paired with the usual comedic situations. The show pulls in beats from other genres—even action movies— if it feels like that’s what will yield the best story. Whenever it takes a turn toward the dramatic, it never forgets to lace more serious moments with jokes.
The characters evolve along with the show. As these connections and dynamics shift, new stories form. If you want to catch a glimpse of romance, you can see it here—follow a couple of ships or love teams to swoon you. If you want more serious stories like parenthood, labor rights and corporate world, you can also catch it here. What’s more amazing is how these different stories somehow intertwine in some points, creating funny and memorable moments. At one point, there was a subplot about two female workers having an unofficial feud because of a love interest, this lasted for a couple of seasons. It was hilarious!
It’s surprisingly romantic
Speaking of love team subplots, Superstore is abundant with that! The show effectively mixes romance with humor, which makes it more appealing to viewers—think like Friends but make it in the work setting. The connections of Cloud 9’s employees to each other are really entertaining to watch as they progress. Spoilers, but even the most unexpected characters form eventual love interests.
The most notable romance in the show is the slow-burn progress of Amy and Jonah’s romance. What makes their story more interesting is that their relationship ascended from being frenemies to lovers. We watch that ascension through the seasons, in gradual. Jonah even had a relationship with another character first, before she finally confessed to Amy. In each of the episode of the former seasons, there’s always that lingering query, ‘are they gonna end up together?’
Important political themes
When you have a show that deals with everyday issues, especially with employees of a big box store, conversations can get real. Superstore opens its discussions up to cover important topics like racism, being undocumented, healthcare, pregnancy, homosexuality and so much more. Each character offers up a unique view to a discussion, allowing to form genuine conversations that reflect people of all different walks of life. The show is a simulation of the real world so it could get political, but it never comes off as a sitcom that has something big to prove—it just casually tells the stories.
Labor rights becomes a recurring theme for the show as these employees navigate the world of work. They organize unionizations and get caught up with the corporate system, yet still, they evoke hopefulness. Mateo’s character also play a huge role in portraying the situation of being an undocumented immigrant. Spoiler, but one of the most emotional scenes of the show was when his character was caught by the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
Funny customer interludes
We have all been customers in stores, or we have all seen those customers that do ridiculous things right in front of you. Superstore had the habit to include interludes where the audience sees a quick flash of a customer doing something either very relatable or completely absurd. It comes in between the scenes of the main characters. It’s so random and funny, it is a writing choice that really works!
The situations happening to the customers are usually brought upon by the funny decisions and mistakes of the employees. In one of the interludes, a customer fights with a reindeer over a piece of apple, because the employees forgot to put their Christmas reindeer outside. Another funny one is when a customer accidentally announces in the intercom that he has a halitosis. Or when a customer changed the diaper of her baby in the middle of the aisle, and places the poop diaper in the shelves.
If you’re looking for a new feel-good sitcom to binge-watch, check Superstore! It’s available for streaming in Netflix and Hulu.
