‘Superstore’ Cemented Its Legacy With “Quinceañera”

When a film or TV show can make me wince out of second-hand embarrassment, it’s not upsetting; it’s impressive. Sitcoms like The Office or Curb Your Enthusiasm are predicated on socially inept characters finding themselves in horrible everyday situations, and they thrive in those situations. And then there are shows like Superstore, that go the opposite direction — except for the expectation subverting “Quinceañera”, which aired on NBC four years ago today.

NBC’s Superstore sixth and final season (sob) aired in 2021, but it’s Season 4, Episode 17 “Quinceañera” that stands out from the pack. The half-hour is full of layered, thoughtful comedic discomfort that proves Superstore’s overall innovativeness. 

Something that has always appealed to me about Superstore is its use of realism. The network sitcom “formula” relies on the audience suspending their disbelief in some form, especially when it comes to finances. We are supposed to believe unemployed millennials can afford rent in New York (Friends) or that Nick Miller can get away with not paying his bills in New Girl. Escape from the unglamorous but authentic parts of life allows us to have fun with these characters for at least thirty minutes. Superstore breaks this mold in that episodes are often built around issues of class and socioeconomics.

The show is essentially an “us vs. them” story. The rag-tag Cloud 9 employees take on a corporate America that only views them as a timecard. And Quinceañera” balances these elements perfectly.

In this episode, Jonah (Ben Feldman) is anxious about attending Amy’s (America Ferrera) daughter’s Quinceañera. As this is their first big family event as a new couple, and Amy has a complex family dynamic, Jonah is extra on edge. At the party, we continuously see Jonah’s nerves get the best of him. He disrupts Emma’s big walk-out by spilling ice on the floor, he gives an inappropriate impromptu speech telling Emma to “stay a virgin…or don’t,” and when Emma gets stoned and panics, Jonah cuts in on the father-daughter dance. Meanwhile, Garrett (Colton Dunn) and Dina (Lauren Ash) make a horribly uncomfortable side bet with a 15 year old boy, and Glenn (Mark Mckinney) tries to show off everything he googled the night before about Hispanic culture.  

The episode is filled with moments that are absolutely cringe-worthy. From Jonah stealing Emma’s spotlight, to him cutting in on a father-daughter dance. Every time I watch these scenes, my heart rate picks up, my face turns red, and I want to slam my laptop shut out of secondhand embarrassment. The social anxiety is so palpable, it makes me want to scream at the screen until the fourth wall is broken. 

And it’s that reaction that makes this episode so important to understanding what made Superstore an amazing sitcom. This episode proved that Superstore could utilize a similar humor structure to heralded shows like The Office; but was also able to go beyond the awkward moments and combine them with compelling storytelling.

It also helps that “Quinceañera” takes the episode outside the store. While it can at times be hard for viewers who have never worked in retail to relate to the misfortunes that occur inside the titular store, most people have been in social settings like a quinceañera. When well-established sitcoms break location, viewers can usually expect an episode full of adventure and goofy hijinks. But Superstore used this episode to flex its muscles with cringe comedy, instead. This episode proved that Superstore could have its cake and eat it too. “Quinceañera” makes us recoil at Jonah’s mistakes, but also probed deeper into the character arcs of both Amy and Jonah. Not only is Superstore subverting its own comedic history with “Quinceañera,” but this episode asks us to look at Amy and Jonah’s relationship development without the rom-com colored glasses we all love to wear.

It’s uncomfortable to watch Jonah make a fool out of himself at a public event. But it’s even more uncomfortable to be confronted with the reality that Jonah may not fit into Amy’s life the way he might have in Season 1. We begin to sweat as Jonah ruins Emma’s big entrance, we swoon when Amy consoles Jonah, we laugh at Emma being stoned, we cringe at Garrett’s drawing of Dina, and most importantly, we worry. We sit in the emotional discomfort of the episode and worry about our favorite TV couple’s longevity. And it’s not just the laughs that make us eagerly binge the rest of the series, it’s the desire to end our discomfort by finding out what happens next.

It’s episodes like “Quinceañera” that remind me how Superstore is criminally underrated. While other shows might have one mode — cringe comedy, or happy sitcom fantasy — this episode proved the series can not only exist in both, it can succeed in whatever sort of comedy it tackles. And for that alone, it’s deserving of a rewatch.