Why Superstore might be TV’s most revolutionary sitcom
A comedy that expertly combines sharp social commentary with heartwarming humour, Superstore is a surprisingly subversive show that deserves your attention
When lockdown started, almost a year ago now, I thought this time would be my golden age of television. No more excuses; I’d finally have time to catch up on all the prestige shows that have spent years stuck on my must-watch list. The Wire, The Sopranos, The West Wing - now was the time. But my brain had other ideas. Instead of great drama, this year I’ve found myself gravitating towards a mix of familiar old favourites, true crime documentaries, and sitcoms. Sorry Sorkin.
I’m sure I’m not alone in the fact that 20 minutes of light-hearted distraction is about as much as I can handle at the moment. And that’s why when NBC’s Superstore landed on Netflix, it immediately caught my eye. I was fresh off the back of a US Office binge and looking for more of the same: a strong ensemble, familiar setting and gentle humour - the TV equivalent of a warm hug.
Superstore first season confirmed my expectations. Creator Justin Spitzer cut his teeth as a writer on The Office (US) and Superstore felt like it shared the same DNA. The Cloud 9 team were Dunder Mifflin with a twist. Bumbling boss Michael Scott replicated in store manager Glenn; obsessive jobsworth Dwight gender-flipped into assistant manager Dina; and the star-crossed lovers, Jim and Pam, reimagined as Jonah and Amy.
But before I could dismiss it as a pleasant but forgettable distraction - a background watch - Superstore started to surprise me. Rather than exist in its own bubble, Superstore got political and began addressing real world issues. And unlike other sitcoms, it didn’t deliver easy resolutions or reliably benevolent bosses stepping in to save the day. Unionisation, maternity leave, immigration, female sexuality, and healthcare have all been tackled, not as one-off ‘special’ episodes but in ongoing plot lines involving multiple characters.
Mateo’s storyline is arguably the most emotive. As an illegal immigrant from the Philippines, this status doesn’t define his character but it does consistently influence his actions and relationships. Over the course of five seasons (season six has not yet been shown in the UK), Mateo has been forced to end his romance with Jeff when a store transfer threatened to unveil his secret, explore alternative ways to get his green card, and ultimately, be arrested by ICE when corporate retaliate against the store’s new union.
The scenes where he is taken away in the season four finale are heartbreaking even though the audience can trust he won’t be gone for good. But unlike some other sitcoms, Superstore doesn’t tidily fix the situation two episodes later. Instead, the fifth season continues the storyline, showing how unscrupulous employers can take advantage of undocumented works and the heavy impact seemingly trivial punishments like wearing an ankle monitor can have on someone’s self-esteem and relationships.
Female sexuality is another timely topic tackled by the show. Superstore’s two female leads, Dina and Amy, are very different personalities but gender double-standards affect them both. The fourth season kicked off with the revelation that Amy and Jonah’s steamy first hookup in the photo lab had been accidentally live streamed to the whole company. It’s embarrassing for both of them, of course, but the couple is treated very differently afterwards. Jonah is hailed as a stud and is constantly barraged with bawdy jokes at his expense but no-one dares to mention the incident to Amy. And this double-standard, the implication that Amy should be ashamed and Jonah deserves a part on the back, isn’t glossed over. Instead, Amy calls it out at a staff meeting and owns her sexuality by inviting anyone who has questions to ask. It’s a powerful (and funny) scene for the character and one that allows a woman to speak frankly about sex in a way that’s not often seen on TV, let alone in a sitcom.
Dina is similarly empowered. While the first season does misstep with her predatory pursuit of Jonah, the show quickly course corrects and consistently shows that she’s a character who is as confident in her sexuality as she is in her work. It’s a characterisation that helps her friends with benefits storyline with Garrett feel fresh; there’s no shame, no sneaking around, and no hints that it’ll definitely evolve into something more. They are two single adults owning their desires. And in season four, the show highlights the gender double-standard again when Dina attends Amy’s daughter Emma’s quinceañera. When her revealing outfit leaves her fending off lecherous teenage boys, Garrett questions her clothing choice but, refreshingly, she shuts him down straight away: “Why should I have to police my body because the men of this world can’t keep it in their pants?”
While immigration and gender are universal issues, Superstore also tackles subjects that will resonate most with anyone who has found themselves working in the lower rungs of the corporate ladder. Capitalist corporate culture and the way it dehumanises employees is a consistent theme and it’s much more impactful than the branch closures and corporate machinations showcase on The Office. Whether it’s forcing job cuts on the elderly, driving staff to burnout to facilitate customer convenience (with the launch of a click and collect service), or treating management to luxurious benefits packages while employee perks are removed, Cloud 9 Corporate is often the show’s antagonist.
One of the most relative examples of Corporate’s heartless approach happens after Amy has her son, Parker. Not only did she have to give birth next to a dead body in a free clinic (a stark display of the failings of US health service) but Amy also learns that, due to a previous suspension, she now has no maternity leave allocation and has to be back at work just 48 hours later. And there’s no Hollywood sheen put on the situation. America Ferrera delivers a convincingly raw performance as a woman dealing with complex postpartum emotions, exhaustion, pain, and well-deserved anger at the situation she’s been forced into. It brings into sharp focus how little humanity the higher ups have and how little consideration is given to an often traumatic (and female-centric) experience like giving birth.
I’m sure I wasn’t the only one cheering when Amy finally unleashes her anger at Glenn: “No, you don’t get to talk right now! I am so tired! I have slept 90 minutes in three days. The lining of my uterus is coming out in clumps. I have haemorrhoids so big that my doctor looked at my [bleep] and said “Whoa!”…I am wearing frozen diapers so that my [bleep] doesn’t fall out. Okay?!”
Superstore has so many layers that listing them all could quickly turn this blog into a book. But it’s commitment to bringing sharp social commentary into almost every episode elevates this sitcom from a cosy comfort-watch to something that's impossible to ignore. The show's ability to balance complex, heavy topics with comedy is truly astounding, and the themes tackled never diminished the joy and escapism it provides too. Superstore is a sitcom that brings the goods, an underrated gem, and easily one of the most revolutionary shows on TV.