‘American Auto’: Ana Gasteyer Takes the Wheel in NBC’s New Workplace Comedy (VIDEO)
Saturday Night Live alum and all-around scream Ana Gasteyer takes the wheel as the new CEO of a struggling car manufacturer in American Auto, NBC’s new top-of-the-line comedy from exec producer Justin Spitzer (Superstore). One thing slowing down her driven Katherine Hastings: She doesn’t know a driveshaft from a dipstick!
Having come to Detroit’s Payne Motors from the world of Big Pharma, “she is probably more dependent on everybody in the workplace than they even know,” says the actress. Her blind spot becomes evident this week when Katherine’s first earnings call with the board fails to rev up her team (Superstore fan favorite Jon Barinholtz and The Daily Show’s hilarious X Mayo play two of them), which has recently been injected with “everyman” input from promoted factory worker Jack (Tye White, Chicago Fire).
The series gets good mileage out of this vibe of inclusion, adding sharp writing and a dash of corporate America commentary. “[Even] me as a woman in a CEO position…these choices allow [us] to tell stories about real people,” Gasteyer says. Stories that are also a total gas.
Watch an exclusive clip from the premiere above!
American Auto, Series Premiere (Official Timeslot), Tuesday, January 4, 8/7c
— Reporting by Barb Oates
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