Superstore, seasons 1-6

I started watching “Superstore” a few seasons into its run.

It’s never been my favorite show. Nor did I find it laugh-out-loud funny all that often. But I kept with it because it had just enough character development, humor, and perspective to make it worth the watch.

Critics have praised the show’s portrayal of working class life, and the show rightly deserves that praise because it commented on issues like health care, living wages, and immigration in the service of its comedy. That’s no small feat.

To me, the ensemble was the best part of this show. There wasn’t an attention-grabbing character–no Dwight or Kramer or Ron Swanson–but Dina (Lauren Ash), Glenn (Mark McKinney), Cheyenne (Nichole Sakura), and Sandra (Kaliko Kauahi) were consistently appealing. There were many times where an off-hand comment or look from one of these characters injected just that much more into a scene.

The only real problem I had with “Superstore” was the relationship between Amy (America Ferrera) and Jonah (Ben Feldman). Their pairing never clicked. Actually, let me revise that. Their best moment as a couple–a moment that made me want them to be together–came at the end of the last episode of the series. Beyond that one moment (which, admittedly, was quite a nice moment), I never understood why these two got together.

The majority of “Superstore’s” scenes were set in the store itself. There were occasional trips outside the Cloud 9 doors ("Quinceañera” being one of the most notable examples). But many of the interactions happened in the aisles, the breakroom, the warehouse, and the parking lot. I can’t think of another program that got so much out of its primary setting.

Goodbye to the network comedy? “Superstore,” “The Good Place,” and “Brooklyn 99” are the only network comedies I’ve watched consistently over the last few years. Two of those shows are gone and “Brooklyn 99” is entering its final season (I am not prepared for this). Unless Michael Schur comes out with a new show, I don’t know when I’ll again be enticed by the offerings from any of the traditional TV networks.