Hard to believe that this series is from the some of the people behind The Office. It definitely has the odd characters and quirky humour of that series but definitely not of the same quality. It does take an exaggerated look at a slice of American culture. Just that the humour, while initially cute, becomes predictable and cliche about three episodes in. However, if you are in the mood then it is a harmless watch. Plus the episodes are only around 20 minutes long.
Cloud 9 is a superstore (a la Walmart or Target) and this one is filled with all kinds of oddball characters. From the oddball and not too bright manager Glenn (played by Mark McKinney), the lost in life Jonah (played by Ben Feldman), the intense Dina (played by Lauren Ash), the only employee with a brain Amy (played by America Ferrer), the pregnant teen Cheyenne (played by Nicole Bloom), the very gay and very ambitious Mateo (played by Nico Santos), and wheelchair slacker Garrett (played by Colton Dunn), all the employees have their issues and make this big box store one in which there is rarely a dull moment.
Retail culture is one that begs to be examined and is ripe with comedic material. From the employees to the oddballs that tend to shop there, it is worthy of a sitcom. A key to success would have been making the characters somewhat relatable. Instead here they are way over the top and stereotypical. Instead of hitting the target by keeping the humour dark and witty they fall too often to slapstick. Which, don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of, but in small doses so it remains effective. Maybe the writers could watch some of the funny British comedy Trollied and come back with better material.
Special Features:
-Deleted Scenes
-Gag Reel
