In the age of high-quality special effects, green screens and CGI comes a hilarious and humble comedy series that requires no such embellishments to catch your eye. Centred around a quaint supermarket, Superstore makes you fall in love with a bunch of quirky employees as they deal with customers, personal drama and other side-splitting experiences.
America Ferrara, well known for her debut in Ugly Betty plays the sarcastic protagonist Amy. Talking over phone, she says: “Amy had a baby when she was young and like many of the characters, is bound by her life’s circumstances. That’s what sets this show apart – it’s centred on the working class, it’s true to life and sincere – all while being ‘punny’ and upbeat.” She further elaborates on the show’s core strength which she believes is its authenticity. “It’s a true reflection of real life with frustrations, humour and the absurdity to work in corporate spaces. I hope Indian audiences can relate to that universal feeling.”
SUPERSTORE -- "Magazine Profile" Episode 106 -- Pictured: (l-r) Nichole Bloom as Cheyenne, America Ferrera as Amy -- (Photo by: Colleen Hayes/NBC)
The strapping Ben Feldman plays Amy’s love-interest, Jonah. “I think an episode in India would be the coolest!” he laughs. “But I do hope Indians relate to this warm, funny work family and hopefully, see themselves in this show.” Talking about his Indian escapade, Mark McKinney who plays the dewy-eyed store manager Glen, comments: “When I came to India in the late 90s, I loved it. We went to Delhi, Goa and Mumbai.” On suggesting he come down to Bengaluru next time, Mark inquires, “How hot are your curries in the South?”
With over 30 years of experience in comedy, he goes on to praise the first table-read of Superstore . “Once we began reading the script, everyone dropped into character. We were like a theatre troupe that had been practising for years.” His favourite scenes to act in are the regular staff meetings that are usually shot at the beginning of episodes. Ben identifies ‘All Nighter’ from Season 1 as his all-time favourite episode, where the cast spent a whole 24 hours in a supermarket that led to dance parties, clowning around and other shenanigans.
SUPERSTORE -- Season: Pilot -- Pictured: Mark McKinney as Glenn -- (Photo by: Chris Haston/NBC)
Playing Dina, the eccentric assistant manager, Lauren Ash also chimes in on the cast’s rare chemistry. “The way I know that this is a great job is I never snooze the alarm in the morning. It feels like I get to hang out with my buddies every day.”
Apart from chemistry, the ensemble cast praises the show’s creator and talented writers. America is proud of the great mix of colour and representation with the cast. Lauren further comments on the relevance of the show by saying: “Our writers don’t hesitate to address issues like gun violence and worker strikes. But it doesn’t come across as preachy as much as to say ‘this is the world we live in’.” Lauren is currently working on a screenplay of her own and also stars in James Franco’s upcoming flick The Disaster Artist .
Speaking of writers, Ben has a charming little relationship with those from Superstore . “Sometimes I read the script and I think it’s just 30 pages of the writers making fun of me,” he jokes. “I’ll say something ridiculous or funny and suddenly it’ll be in the script! I honestly don’t know where Jonah ends and I begin.”
Catch Superstore Monday to Friday at 10 pm on Comedy Central.
