Drug Testing, Marital Problems, Strike Fallout: The Plots Thicken in Second Season of ‘Superstore’

Rudy Cecera

Cloud 9 and its weird assortment of employees are back. Superstore, the NBC sitcom returns for more of its second season on Jan. 5. Up until now, the sophomore season has done much to delve into characters’ personal lives as well as their professional ones.  

Previously at the St. Louis big box store, the holidays had arrived in the form of incompetent seasonal help and food poisoning on Black Friday. The store’s backbone Amy (America Ferrera) had also begun to have marital problems with her unemployed husband Adam. Things began to go south when he canceled a camping trip with their daughter. Troubles then escalated when he began working at Cloud 9 where he proceeded to undermine Amy’s authority.  

Carefully watching Amy’s dilemma is judgmental Jonah (Ben Feldman). Although the entire store staff believes he has a crush on her, Jonah denies it and has even introduced Amy to his supposed girlfriend Naomi. We’ve also learned that Jonah has a bit of a gambling problem, likes fencing and hates guns to the point where he caused a Second Amendment strike in the middle of the store.

As for the others, Assistant Manager Dina (Lauren Ash) has gotten back into the employees’ good graces after scabbing at the store’s strike at the beginning of the season. She continues to be her usual annoying by-the-book self by drug testing the employees. She was last seen kissing wheelchair-bound clerk Garrett (Colton Dunn), who had exhibited an attraction for her in the Halloween episode when she wore a sexy cop outfit.

Meanwhile, the store brown-noser Mateo (Nico Santos) is carrying on his own secret romance with District Manager Jeff Sutton, who helped settle the strike by re-hiring store manager Glenn (Mark McKinney). Once back at work the whiney boss reveals himself as a pro-lifer by clashing with the store pharmacist about morning-after pills. Finally, the cause of last season’s strike, ditzy Cheyenne (Nichole Bloom) has returned from her maternity leave and is annoying the employees with non-stop baby talk. She and her loser boyfriend have also rented their first home, co-signed by Glenn.

The first new episode this year features a surprise for Amy. While cleaning out the store’s lost and found on New Year’s Day she finds a wad of cash. No word yet on what she does with it. Perhaps hire a divorce lawyer?

Superstore Season 2 continues Jan. 5.