Written by Mckenziee Belton
Earlier this month one of the best comedies of the last ten years was canceled. Superstore debuted on NBC in 2015 and it quickly became one of the most culturally relevant shows out there. For those of you who’ve never seen the show, it is an ensemble office comedy based in a superstore called Cloud 9. Created by The Office writer Justin Spitzer and featuring other great writers from the show, Superstore shares a similar comedic tone. One of the show’s best features is its ability to mix highly relevant social issues, such as health care, unions, and deportation, with reassuring comical undertones.
My favorite episode to show people is called “Health Fund” because it zeroes in on the healthcare cost crisis in America. In the episode, the employees are tired of using home remedies in place of professional health care and decide to create their own fund to cover their increasing health care costs. In the process the viewer learns how insurance works and how what seems like a simple fix, is in fact extremely complicated. All the while you will be rolling on the floor laughing and there is plenty more where that came from. The show is in its sixth season and continues to get better with age.
Many sites have claimed that the show was in part cancelled because one of its leads, America Ferrera, left the show after having starred in it for the last five seasons. That is an unfair burden to place on Ferrera, as she was an incredibly important character on the show and of course irreplaceable, but it sells the show and the rest of the cast short by saying it cannot survive without her. Personally, I think NBC needs to give Superstore the same space it gave The Office when Steve Carrell left in season seven. They gave the cast and crew room to grow without the star’s presence and allowed the ensemble to shine in a different way. Superstore already aired two episodes without Ferrera honoring her departure while not missing a comedic beat. And just like The Office, the cast is filled with comedians and writers on the brink of superstardom. These faces will become all too familiar in the years to come. I imagine in ten years the show itself will be a cult classic and only grow it’s following to match. So NBC, think of the future fans and the potential marketing opportunities, and give the fans more seasons to cherish!
There are still so many places to go with the show. For example, I want to meet Dina’s sister (who MUST be played by Melissa Peterman) and I want her to find out she has a long lost brother (who MUST be Rainn Wilson). It would be comedic gold to have the three of them in a scene together! Not to mention, we need to know what happens to Jonah now that he is beginning to question why he’s still working at Cloud 9, since we all know he was waiting around for Amy (and will they ever get back together?). We need to learn more about Bo and Cheyenne’s life, which actually will be explored in a spinoff very soon. What about Glen? What about Dina’s life without her birds? What about Garrett? Will he and Dina ever get back together? AND WE CANNOT FORGET ABOUT JERRY AND SANDRA. What will be their fate with their newly adopted teenage son? There are so many stories still waiting to be told and plenty of fans both current and future, who want to see these characters succeed. They represent people who are not always seen on television and the show brings so many important issues to light. Please don’t give up on this show because it is truly a diamond in the rough.