Those of us familiar with national lockdowns (aka, the entire world) will likely sympathise with the all-too-familiar sensation of ‘streaming fatigue’; a term used to describe the unsettling feeling that you’ve exhausted all watchable content on every streaming service out there.
I found myself in this basket in March, during the last stretch of Lockdown 3.0. And after a final (and failed) attempt at getting past more than the first two episodes of Emily in Paris, I was ready to throw my hands in the air in defeat.
Then came Superstore.
Now, I can’t pretend to be the first person to discover this show, since it’s been running in the US since 2015 and is currently in its sixth season, with the first five seasons added to Netflix UK in January. Since its addition, the series has been enjoying a British Renaissance, quickly climbing to the Top 10 list within days of arriving on the service. And it’s not difficult to understand why: Superstore is the perfect binge.
”It follows the everyday goings on of the store and its weird and wonderful employees”
Like so many other series that have thrived on our screens since the pandemic began, Superstore offers the comforting familiarity of the tried and tested ‘workplace comedy’ format. Set in a fictional big-box store in Missouri called Cloud 9, it follows the everyday goings on of the store and its weird and wonderful employees, with most of the action centring on a young floor worker, Amy, played by America Ferrera (Ugly Betty, Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants).
At times, this sense of familiarity becomes pretty explicit. Fans of the US version of The Office in particular will likely experience some déjà-vu across the series. There is an undeniable Dwight-ness to the character of Dina (Lauren Ash), the store’s bullish, oddball assistant manager who, like her Office counterpart, steals every one of her scenes by pairing an intense presence with an impeccable sense of comic timing. It’s also hard to ignore the definite Jim-and-Pam dynamic between Amy and Cloud 9’s newest employee, Jonah (Ben Feldman) – albeit with lowered emotional stakes.
These similarities aren’t particularly surprising, since the show’s creator, Justin Spitzer, was a writer and producer for The Office for several years. But they also don’t take away from Superstore’s originality (and, more importantly, binge-ability). These familiar beats are simply the anchor of a show that is otherwise fully capable of holding its own.
”Superstore’s success comes from this unique ensemble cast”
That’s because around this anchor spins a constantly revolving door of truly ridiculous but brilliant characters. Rather than forming the storyline of any individual episode – or indeed the narrative arc of the entire series – Superstore’s success comes from this unique ensemble cast. The setting of a store full of casual staff, plus the sheer size of the cast, offers flexibility episode-to-episode that other, smaller ensemble shows can’t. Besides the handful of central stars, we don’t spend time with any supporting character for too long. Instead, they are cleverly dispatched for just a scene or two, and then allow us some breathing space from their intense quirks. Spitzer’s previous work on The Office comes in handy here too, since as well as being the emotional through line of the first few seasons, Amy and Jonah are also the much-needed, more stable elements of this show that help to off-set an otherwise bizarre cast.
For the most part, Superstore doesn’t concern itself with complex plot lines. At times, it actually feels like each episode is just one long, very well executed improv skit. And this is the show’s core appeal: a comedy just strange enough to create the escapism you need, but light-hearted and familiar enough to satisfy the comfort-watch itch.
With spring time finally here and restrictions gradually easing, I truly hope that we won’t be experiencing too much more enforced screen time in the coming months. But whether you’re still facing lockdown or enjoying freedom, if you’re looking for your next Netflix binge, it’s worth spending a few hours at Cloud 9.
The first five seasons are available on Netflix. The sixth and final season of Superstore is currently available to watch in the UK on ITV2, with Netflix yet to announce when it will be available on the streaming service for fans to catch up.
Tess Green
Featured image courtesy of Thibault Penin via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.