‘Superstore’ Offers Witty Take on Weird World of Today

The second half of Superstore’s season four starts March 7, as the staff of Cloud 9 gets back to work. Justin Spitzer created the show, and spoke about what makes Superstore timely here in 2019.

“I think we’re timely because we aren’t afraid to deal with the world around us,” he said at TCA in January. “It’s a time when everyone is paying a lot of attention to politics, to social issues. It feels like an important time. We can do an episode that deals with those issues, specific things like people dealing with low-income wages, immigration.”

Spitzer described the social issues as “hot-button topics our show naturally touches on.”

He’s an executive producer along with Ruben Fleischer, David Bernad, Gabe Miller & Jonathan Green and Jackie Clarke.

Superstore is averaging a 1.4 rating in viewers 18-49, and 4.4 million viewers overall in live plus same day. NBC recently renewed the show for season five.

“Week after week Justin Spitzer, our amazing writers, and cast and crew masterfully deliver a comedy that not only makes us laugh but speaks to the larger issues of the day,” said Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta, co-presidents of scripted programming, NBC Entertainment.

Spitzer said some gone but not forgotten characters will pop up in the next batch of episodes. Such as Myrtle, the octogenarian who’s been working at Cloud 9 longer than anyone.

Linda Porter plays Myrtle. “We love her so much,” said Spitzer, promising she returns in the latter half of the season. 

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.