‘Superstore’: An Accidental Strike, Amy and Jonah’s Relationship Grows and More

Superstore returns for its sophomore year with the employees at big-box store Cloud 9 still dealing with the accidental strike they started at the end of last season.

“They’re flying by the seat of their pants,” says America Ferrera, who plays the determined Amy. “She doesn’t like to admit defeat. And now she has something she can really commit to.”

And Amy has at least one person on her side: Jonah (Ben Feldman). “He helps her out and is her No. 1—and only—teammate at times in that situation,” Feldman says. “I think Jonah just loves being a part of things. So some may be put off by the strike or annoyed by it or stressed off by it, [but] I think he’s just really happy to have something to do and a reason to show up.”

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In addition to workers’ rights, the comedy will touch on timely topics like trans bathroom protests, gun control, undocumented immigration and a “dark scandal” with Cloud 9’s celebrity spokesperson (played by Weird Loners’ Nate Torrence). Halloween, Election Day and Black Friday installments are also on tap. “Every now and then I find myself thinking I should pace myself and hold things for later, but in an age of so much TV, that’s not the best way to think,” exec producer Justin Spitzer says. “You should do your best episodes now and deal with tomorrow tomorrow…I don’t think you’re restricted to one holiday episode. I think you have to think of it you can burn through approaches to holiday episodes, not holidays themselves. There are so many huge expectations that go along with [Black Friday]. It’s a big, exciting challenge to tackle it.”

Amy (America Ferrera) leads the strike on Cloud 9.

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Throughout it all, Amy and Jonah’s complicated dynamic will continue. “We’ve talked a lot about at what point a friendship at work becomes a flirtation,” Spitzer says, adding that there will be changes in Amy’s marriage. “We’ve been working on keeping them antagonistic but also having their relationship grow.”

Superstore, Season Premiere, Thursday, September 22, 8/7c, NBC