Saturday 4 February 2017

Superior Donuts Has The Potential To Become A Great Sitcom



CBS is well known for sticking to what has worked well for them in the past. One only has to look at their current slate of shows to see the vast majority of their comedies are old school multi-camera sitcoms. Some critics suggest CBS should move on from the past and embrace the cooler and more modern single-camera format but CBS has always stuck to their guns and remained loyal to what works. The same can be said about their newest sitcom titled Superior Donuts, which deals with wanting to stick with what has worked in the past while world tries to usher in a new world order. Superior Donuts is set in a doughnut shop run by a Polish immigrant named Arthur (Judd Hirsch)  who opened the shop in 1969 when he first came to America. The shop has remained mostly unchained until the arrive of Franco (Jermaine Fowler) a young and hip African-American aspiring artist who manages to coerce Arthur into hiring him after offering a wave of ideas to bring Superior Donuts into the present. The ensemble cast also includes Katey Segal (Married... With Children) and David Koechner (Anchorman).

Superior Donuts mentions issues ranging from the gentrification of a community to the clash of cultures. Both are neither new nor revolutionary themes for television but are more than more than welcome to be explored further and hopefully with more substance in this show. While the humour and the dynamics of the central characters can be bland at times, and of course, the writing and jokes are predictable and fail to land, one should watch the show with the hope that the ensemble cast are given more complex and deeper material to work with.

This would transform an acceptable show with promise into a great show with a lot to say about issues affected both the older and younger generation. Furthermore, many of the jokes are told at the expense of young people aka “millennials” and their so-called addiction to social media and Frappuccinos. In order to succeed in the long run, Superior Donuts must ensure its material moves beyond the stale jokes and references about the pitfalls our generation and hopefully shows how both millennials and old folk can work together for the good of the community.  

Superior Donuts is a comedy which has a lot of potential. The pilot episode manages to set the groundwork for a show which could have a long run if it manages to develop and build-upon the issues it raises rather than complicating them which seems to be a hole many shows fall into. Superior Donuts has a long way to go before it manages to become the topical sitcom it wishes to become but the most important thing is it certainly has the potential. The main question is, will audiences stick around for this plain doughnut to be glazed with some distinctiveness 

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