Superstore is an underappreciated blue collar show with heart

The Ringer

"That staff pulls off a deceptively simple-seeming balance by delivering laughs without making light of the serious systemic ills Superstore’s characters encounter," Ben Lindbergh says of the "overlooked" comedy. "Superstore is a sitcom, not a political platform, so it subtly points out problems without proposing solutions. But its deep-seated sympathy for the debt-ridden drones in dead-end jobs who are trying to make ends meet makes it comfort food with a conscience, full of heartwarming humanism." He adds: "The Dunder Mifflin workers’ white-collar jobs may have been boring, but at least they had benefits. Superstore’s peons are largely living paycheck to paycheck, subject to slashed hours, a lack of maternity leave, and other manifestations of corporate’s insatiable pursuit of profit. They dread automation and attempt to unionize, only to be thwarted when their new corporate parent wipes away the concessions they thought they’d negotiated. The need for the series to maintain status quo at Cloud 9 in order to sustain the story jells well with its characters’ inability to better their lots in life."