In the past decade, there has been a rise in sitcoms and shows that serve as a source of comfort in peopleâs lives, often referred to as âcomfort showsâ. Big names include Brooklyn 99, The Office, New Girl, Modern Family, Superstore, Friends, and many more. These shows often consist of generally predictable plotlines and are considered âlight viewingâ, something that you can put on in the background while you clean or make dinner. What makes these types of shows so appealing is the pleasure that viewers get from indulging in a separate world where they can form individual bonds with the characters, often leading to emotional connections despite the idea of “casual viewing.” It is a chance for viewers to escape and take a break from the complications of their own real lives, becoming an outside spectator on the lives of the characters in these shows as they navigate their own struggles.
However, after the global pandemic in 2020, a universal struggle emerged that was inescapable. COVID-19 took over everything, as streets were covered in cleanliness warnings, our use of public spaces was controlled and limited, and we were forced to stay at home. Not only did COVID impact our real lives, but the pandemic was so pervasive that it infiltrated the aspects of media we once used to escape our problems, such as sitcoms.
In particular, NBCâs sitcom Superstore follows the lives of employees at a fictional big-box store in St. Louis, Missouri. This is one of my favourite shows, as I felt it contained all the elements of a perfect showâfrom the humour, to the character development, to the way the show dealt with real issues like the immigration crisis, the struggles of the working class in America, and corruption within corporate businesses.
Unfortunately, once COVID consumed the media and peopleâs minds, this began to impact the narrative of Superstore. Soon, every episode was driven by the issues related to COVID, and something that was once used as a method of escapism, became too familiar to the struggles people were facing day-to-day. In a sense, the idea of using COVID to make the show more relatable wasnât a terrible one, but eventually, I felt as though each episode lost its individuality, and soon enough, as did the show.
Shows that existed before COVID did not fall victim to this. For example, the ending of New Girl and Friends felt more cyclical and personal to the world of those shows. However, unfortunately COVID did cause the world of shows like Superstore to no longer felt like their own.