Don't bother checking out this 'Superstore'
The major networks are entering the holiday season with some awfully barren shelves.
Don't let the lack of cancellations fool you: This has been a wildly disappointing fall for the big broadcasters. At this point in the season, only three of their new shows stand out as distinctive: CW's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, the season's most highly original (though sadly, not highly rated) new show; CBS'Supergirl, which while less original, nicely fills a female-hero gap; and Fox's The Grinder, an increasingly offbeat and enjoyable blend of showbiz spoof and family comedy. And that's about it: Pretty much every other new show, even the ones that are semi-entertaining, feels like a gift you'd already been given.
And now comes NBC's Superstore (Monday 10 p.m. ET/PT, ** stars out of four) — which feels not just like something you've been given, but something you've already returned.
Still, as we are approaching the season of goodwill towards all, let's start with the good news: Superstore brings Ugly Betty's charming-as-ever America Ferrera back to TV, and surrounds her with some talented castmates, including Ben Feldman (Mad Men), Colton Dunn (Key and Peele), Lauren Ash (Super Fun Night) and Mark McKinney (Kids in the Hall). And at least the series isn't set in a Chicago police precinct, firehouseor hospital, which if nothing else is a step forward for NBC.
As the title indicates, the setting here is a strip mall megastore — the kind of place that promises "one stop shopping for everything you could ever want or need." That includes fake rings that don't quite count as jewelry, as the store's floor manager, Amy (Ferrera), gamely tries to point out to a dimwitted customer.
Amy is smart and dedicated, which means she's constantly solving problems caused by her inept or disinterested co-workers. These include the new guy (Feldman); the seen-it-all clerk (Dunn); the typically clueless manager (McKinney), and the ambitious, rule-driven assistant manager (Ash).
In the show's pilot, the first of two episodes airing in tonight's special preview before its official January launch, those characters mesh well enough to give you some slight hope that Superstore might be more than just empty shelf filler. Unfortunately, the more you see of the characters, the less distinct they become. They, and their humor, become broader and nastier, as the show veers between honoring people in blue-collar retail jobs and condescending toward them.
Worse yet, though, is the sense that everything you see, and every joke you hear, is being recycled — making this less a superstore than a consignment shop. The merchandise isn't terrible; some of it is even fairly nice. It's just that after so many hand-me-downs, you were hoping for something new.
Maybe next season.