By Brianna Alleva
Superstore premieres
Airing in 2015, Superstore on NBC had a great run. The characters were funny, the setting was hilarious and the random side characters and realism of a grocery store job was a hit.
Superstore was one of my favorite sitcoms and still holds up today with witty storylines and lovable characters.
Then what happens is what happens with all shows eventually, especially when they go on for a good amount of seasons, six to be exact, actors start to leave for other projects.
This phenomenon to me never made any sense, you are a part of a show that is fun, a steady paycheck and guaranteed to be renewed season after season, why leave. Maybe this is why I could never be an actress, I would just take the first solid gig and stay.
This is besides the point, but when America Ferrera, arguably the lead actress, left the show at the beginning of the sixth and last season, so did the viewers and the ratings. This ultimately led to the cancellation of the show.
At least the show gave the characters a proper send off with Ferrera briefly returning.
Now, when actors come back to the show they left, this feels good, like you can tell they had a good time so want to pay the show respect.
Despite the cancellation, Superstore was a success so I was surprised it took the creators until 2024 to come up with a new show.
Advertise on Streaming: St. Denis Medical & Superstore
Audience Demographics for CTV
- Strong Adults 18–49 reach across both shows
- Slight female skew (~55–60%)
- Mix of younger (St. Denis) + broader/older (Superstore) viewers
- Solid CTV + linear viewing, including Peacock
- Relatable workplace audiences with mass appeal
Typical Advertisements for Streaming
- CPG brands (household goods, cleaning, snacks)
- Retail & e-commerce (big-box, everyday shopping)
- QSR & casual dining (fast food chains, delivery apps)
- Healthcare & pharma (OTC meds, insurance)
- Telecom & streaming services (mobile carriers, platforms like Peacock)
Where to Stream Reality Check: St. Denis Medical & Superstore
- St. Denis Medical: Hulu, Netflix, NBC, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, Apple TV, Fandango at Home
- Superstore: Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, YouTube TV, Apple TV, Fandango at Home
St. Denis Medical
St. Denis Medical, a mockumentary about a fictional, underfunded hospital premiered and quickly became a hit.
Initially, the show had to make itself stand out from the iconic mockumentaries before it: The Office, Parks & Rec. The interesting environment of a hospital also adds an extra layer of making sure you are not insensitive while also being a funny show.
Personally, when I first heard of this show I was like absolutely not. Medical shows are not my favorite and the advertisements for St. Denis Medical looked like every other show we have seen.
On a whim, the show came up on Netflix and I started to watch. At first, it was just okay, nothing too crazy or standout.
Then, the beauty of the sitcom is that it typically has a lot of episodes and towards the middle of the first season, you start to get used to the characters and to enjoy yourself.
I found myself putting on the show day after day and growing to love the characters and the situations. It is fun to see similar looking sets and lighting, etc to Superstore and it truly looks like a spinoff of the show itself.
I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing but I also don’t think the show will win any awards any time soon.
There is a sweet spot between audience love and critics awarded is right where these shows sit. Not a bad place to be in when the goal is longevity.
The two shows compared
Yes, both shows look almost identical but there are some differences that should be noted.
Side Characters
In Superstore, they did a great job of bringing in regular side characters and even the ensemble cast. They were funny, endearing and had interesting backgrounds. St. Denis Medical has side characters but they haven’t established enough about them to grow in the audiences’ hearts. The characters of Tim, Keith and Chaplin Steve have the potential to be interesting, but maybe the show is too new and later we will see more of their characters.
Love Story
The iconic love story between Amy and Jonah in Superstore is honestly what kept audiences, at least me, returning and interested in the show season after season. The show literally ended after the actress playing Amy left and we didn’t get the dynamic between her and Jonah anymore. St. Denis Medical understands the need for this type of story and has slowly started to try to establish it between Serena and Matt. Again, we are comparing two seasons to six so I have hopes in the upcoming seasons we will see this storyline grow more.
Drama
The drama between a hospital and a store is definitely different. For Superstore, the drama mainly revolved around customers, jobs and the dreaded closing down of the store. For St. Denis Medical the drama is there in the title. Being in a hospital there is potential for so much to happen at any given time. This gives the writers ample to work with and material for seasons to come.
All things considered both Superstore and St. Denis Medical has tapped into the audiences love of cozy, funny and reliable shows. I would not be surprised if we see St. Denis Medical goes for as long if not longer than Superstore, as long as no actor leaves.
