Sitcoms used to follow a format of episodic, procedural stories that saw characters in a particular setting dealing with outlandish comedic situations every week until ideas ran stale or the network cancelled them. However, sitcoms have started to evolve into semi-serialized shows that follow multiple season-long storylines. This allows shows to reinvent themselves season by season and keep things relatively fresh while not deterring from the cast of characters that made them successful in the past. Superstore dealt with one of those big shake up moments last season when a hurricane decimated their Cloud 9 store and left the audience on a big cliffhanger.
The main story of season three revolves around the re-opening of the store after it was destroyed by a hurricane. The employees continue to deal with the intertwining of their professional and personal lives as corporate events and a change in management cause some of their loyalties to shift. It all comes to a head as their store is chosen for a live-broadcast of a company-wide town hall meeting with their CEO.
If this series could be described in one word, it would be consistent. Despite the use of direction changing story elements, this show has continued to excel at delivering constant, high quality humour since its pilot episode thanks to its extremely relatable setting paired with some superb writing and an excellent ensemble. The setting of a department store allows anyone to immerse themselves into the atmosphere of this show either through their experiences as an employee or customer. In fact, some of the best moments on this show are the transition scenes showing the ridiculous things that people do in stores like this.
However, this show is more than just a relatable setting as it uses its writing to create socially and politically relevant storylines that focus on very topical themes. These stories are paired with extremely fleshed out and flawed characters that each play a vital role in rounding out the cast of this comedy. The roster of employees each fulfill a different personality and workplace relationship further immersing the audience in this show’s farcical look at reality. These characters in turn are portrayed in hilarious fashion by the great ensemble cast who never disappoint. Definite standouts of the season are America Ferrera, Ben Feldman, Lauren Ash, Colton Dunn, Mark McKinney, Jon Barinholtz and Kelly Stables.
This season of Superstore is a funny, relatable sitcom that blends entertaining comedy with political and social issues to show the intricacies of corporate management. Its ensemble delivers a well-rounded, flawed and hilarious cast of characters that are able to play off each other with ease and create the show’s immersive atmosphere making it less of a chore to revisit this store. From its relatable workplace setting paired with its comedic situations, this show was one of the best sitcoms of this year so it’s definitely worth a watch.
Score: 9/10
Here’s our video review:
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