Why did NBC cancel Superstore?

Justin Spitzer’s irreverent and bizarre workplace comedy “Superstore,” which ran from 2015 to 2021shared some themes with other popular “office” sitcoms like “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Parks and Recreation,” and “The Office” — if any of these shows had a gag about finding severed feet in their respective workplaces. , and this is it. So why did the show end after its sixth season?

The answer is both simple and complex if I’m honest; One of the big stars chose to leave the series behind for new opportunities, and a global pandemic put a damper on almost all human interaction and work for a while (though the show made the “most” of that situation, so speak). Let’s step back for a moment, though. “Superstore,” true to its name, takes place in a fictional superstore called Cloud 9 — which certainly bears some similarities to Targets and Walmarts across the country — and in a particular branch in St. Louis, Missouri. Home to a colorful cast of characters.

Jonah Simms, played by Ben Feldman, is the audience’s entry point into the series’ social ecosystem — Jonah takes a job there after dropping out of business school, which immediately puts him at odds with his colleagues — and during his time at Cloud 9, Jonah works under a female supervisor. Floor assistant Amy Sousa (America Ferrera), strangely intense assistant store manager Dina Fox (Lauren Ash), and cheerful and positive store manager Glenn Sturgess (Mark McKinney). Rounding out the main cast of characters is the rest of the Cloud 9 staff, including Cheyenne Lee who plays Nicole Sakura, Garrett MacNeil who plays Colton Dunn, and Nico Santos who plays the cheerful referee Mateo Fernando Aquino Liwanage, creating a very diverse and funny cast of characters. . This is why the show needed to end, even though it did One of the best workplace comedies Ever.

America Ferrera — previously known for projects like “Ugly Betty” and “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” before taking the job on “Superstore” — announced that she would be leaving the series in February of 2020, just a few weeks after… The show has been renewed For its sixth season. In a statement obtained by outlets like Delivery timeFerreira – who also directed a handful of episodes and served as a producer on the show – said: “The last five years on Superstore have been some of the most fulfilling, enriching and enjoyable years of my career (…) As I begin the next chapter in my family and career, I wish only the best and success.” The continuation of the beloved Superstore family.

This all happened in February 2020, and we all know what happened the following month. The world has almost completely shut down for a few weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing everyone into isolation long before a vaccine is available; Naturally, this affected the production of the “Department Store”. The show was filmed back in the fall of 2020 — using protective gear like face masks just like real “essential workers” would have in a real department store like Cloud 9 — but in December of that year, diverse It was reported that Season 6 will completely close out the series, and the finale will eventually air in February of 2021. Did Ferrera’s departure seal the fate of “Superstore?” It’s also possible it had to do with pandemic delays, but it certainly didn’t help that one of the show’s most prominent artists left the project before the coronavirus became an issue.

Ultimately, America Ferrera — and by extension, Emi Sosa — returned for the end of “Superstore,” including the “All Sales Final,” to bring everything full circle. With the uncertain future of the St. Louis Cloud 9 looming over all the characters, they eventually decide to scatter and look for new opportunities as the store prepares to become an online order fulfillment center. While Dina has to choose five employees to work at the fulfillment center, Glenn and Amy decide to move on, and as Garrett contemplates his rise and fall on Cloud 9, viewers enjoy a wholesome montage of what happens to all the “Superstore” characters after the events of the finale.

Amy and Jonah, whose slow-burning romance was a big part of the seriesthey married and had a child together (with Jonah running for local political office and Amy continuing to work in corporate America in the process), and Dina and Garrett, whose love affair Pretty much Stranger, we also meet; Glenn reopens his family’s hardware store, Sturgis & Sons, and hires Mateo, Cheyenne, and her wayward husband Beau (Johnny Pemberton) to work for him there. (Dina also still works in the fulfillment center alongside a group of colleagues.) Also, it turns out that one of the store’s weirdest employees, a weirdo named Elias played by Dani Jura, has been leaving all those severed feet everywhere, so that’s that.

“Superstore” is streaming on Hulu now.