Superstore opened its doors to Cloud 9 customers and TV viewers 10 years ago on November 30, 2015, kicking off a six-season run through spring 2021.
TV Insider caught up with star Ben Feldman, who shares, “I’ve got a lot of memories” from playing the loveable newbie Jonah when the pilot was filming and aired, introducing him and viewers to the crew running Cloud 9, among whom included floor supervisor Amy (America Ferrera), by-the-book assistant manager Dina (Lauren Ash), associate Garrett (Colton Dunn), store manager Glenn (Mark McKinney), fellow new recruit Mateo (Nico Santos), and Cheyenne (Nichole Sakura), among others.
In the premiere episode, Jonah attempts to make a good impression on his first day, but starts things off on the wrong foot with Amy, whom he offends when he mistakes her for a customer, and makes a comment about working there as being a negative thing. Needless to say, despite his blunder, Jonah’s immediate romantic interest in Amy is apparent, sparking one of comedy TV’s most memorable ships in recent years.
Trae Patton / ©NBC / courtesy Everett Collection
As Jonah goes through the day’s tasks, he continues to have little slip-ups, but manages to put a smile on Amy’s face when a fake robbery turned flash mob proposal for associate Cheyenne from the father of her unborn child leads to Cloud 9’s lights going out. Glow-in-the-dark stars placed on the ceiling by Jonah offer Amy a new perspective, hinting at the future ahead of these characters.
“There was a lot of fun that we had back then,” Feldman muses. “I remember getting into an argument with America because there was a scene where she was talking to me, and she was looking down, but I was looking into her eyes, and America said something like, ‘What are you doing? Stop that.’ And they kept that in as her character.”
Feldman explains that when the director cut, “I kind of was like, ‘What am I doing? I’m playing the love interest. I’m supposed to be into you.’ And she was like, ‘I don’t like that.’ I think a lot of our dynamics were born in that pilot. I think that’s why that show went on for so long, was I feel like we just kind of gelled right away.”
Among the other memories Feldman recalls is, “I bet one of the producers and Lauren Ash how many times they would have to do that ridiculous [flash mob] dance. I think I won the bet, and so… my prize was a signed Jason Derulo poster where he said like, ‘It’s your boy Jason.’”
As for Superstore‘s enduring impact, Feldman says, “I genuinely am proud of that show and its effect on people. We were a moderately successful show on linear television, but so many people have come to find it in the years since we made it, or at least in the years since we started making it, all around the world.”
Feldman reveals he and his former costars “joke when we go to other countries, we’re like the biggest stars ever… But the vast majority of people who come up to me will say it’s their comfort show and they found it in Covid, or if it wasn’t Covid, they found it during a really dark time in life… I think it’s not just a testament to us and to that show, but to comedy, which I don’t think there’s enough of right now on TV,” he adds.
The actor has most recently reprised his guest-starring role on CBS’s comedy Ghosts, in which he features as Kyle, a man who can see the titular spirits dwelling at Woodstone. “I think Ghosts is a great one. I could probably name three others that I watch, and four million dramas. But us funnies, we’re here to get you through all the dark times, and there should be more of us funnies around, I think,” Feldman notes.
Luckily, Superstore is there to lean on anytime you need a funny fix. Let us know your favorite memories of Superstore in the comments section below, and revisit anytime on streaming.
Superstore, Streaming now, Peacock & Hulu
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