My Top 10 this week is Top 10 Superstore Characters!
Superstore shares a lot of similarities with The Office and Kelly is certainly the Karen Filipelli of this show. She got a little bit of a bad rap for coming in between the main love story on the show through no fault of her own. I liked that she still held her own and they made her a teeny bit crazy but enough of her own personality and not just a cog in the Amy-Jonah story. Kelly Stables played it well.
9. BO THOMPSON
Bo was such a great "small dose" character. Had he been a series regular, he might have been a more annoying character than Marcus (who you'll notice is not on this list). But because Bo was such an infrequent character, he made his mark much like Jean Ralphio on Parks and Recreation. He was such a man child who tried way too hard and Johnny Pemberton had an incredible way with his delivery.
You'll see between this ranking and the next one that I felt like the two main characters on Superstore were not its strongest element. I think it functioned much better as a pure ensemble show. And that's because Jonah, while he was well played by Ben Feldman, could be an annoying character occasionally. The show sometimes veered too far into his quirkiness and irritating character traits. But he still had some strong moments too, I just liked him more when he wasn't the lead.
7. AMY SOSA
Similar to Jonah, Amy was sometimes an irritating character to me and that's why the lead of the show is coming in at #7 on the list. I also feel like America Ferrera's character started super strong but the show sort of lost its way with the character as it went along. There were a lot of fun elements to her character (the different name tags never got old) but I think it was a misfire to put her in charge of the store because she wasn't as sympathetic a character after that and the constant back and forth with Jonah took its toll.
Dina was of course the Dwight Schrute of Superstore and I felt similarly about her as I did to Dwight: that she was capable of really funny moments unless the show let the character run amok. I actually think Lauren Ash really made a lot of things work even when Dina was asked to do absolutely ridiculous things and she put a nice touch on the character and gave her depth even when it seemed like a stretch.
5. GARRETT MCNEIL
Garrett became a more interesting character as Superstore went on and it evolved more into an ensemble show. Originally he was good for a few wisecracks over the PA system but he became a more fleshed out character. He showed some surprising depth at various points and the show made an interesting choice to put him in a wheelchair especially considering actor Colton Dunn does not use a wheelchair. He also just got funnier as the show went on.
4. CHEYENNE THOMPSON
The ditzy Cheyenne was another character who got better as the series went along. Originally she was pretty much a "type" - an irresponsible pregnant high school student. But by the end of the series, she was just as ditzy but also a much more well-rounded character. Her scenes with Mateo in later years were some of the funniest moments of the show. And of course her relationship with Bo was a source of a lot of comedy. I hope Nichole Sakura finds another vehicle soon because she has a pretty great sense of comic timing.
You'll notice a trend that many of the characters coming in towards the top of the list are ones who got a chance to shine when the series became more of an ensemble comedy. Sandra was such a great character because she could have simply been a pathetic one but she gained more confidence as the series went on and especially in the run-up to and aftermath from her wedding. Kaliko Kauahi took us on a journey of self confidence for Sandra. She was a character who was easy to root for and the show paid it off as good things happened to her.
2. GLENN STURGIS
Glenn was at his best when he was the boss instead of the employee. As the boss, he was so awkward and yet well meaning. Somehow he was even less self-aware than Michael Scott at times and his voice and delivery of lines was one of the most memorable parts of Superstore. I don't know why the show didn't backpedal sooner from Amy taking the boss job from Glenn because it hurt both characters but Mark McKinney was always good for a few funny lines per episode no matter what.
Superstore was a show that always handled serious issues pretty deftly. Shows are better in general now about not doing "very special episodes" but Superstore balanced that better than most and it was especially evident in the Mateo immigration arc at the end of Season Four where Nico Santos played it beautifully. But he was also a hilarious character with so many one-liners and funny, sarcastic moments. He was the show's MVP for much of its later years.
Tomorrow: A One Season Wonder look at The Sinbad Show!
Next Tuesday: Top 10 The Mary Tyler Moore Show Characters!
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