Cloud 9 is losing its most valuable employee.
NBC announced Friday that America Ferrera will leave the critically acclaimed comedy “Superstore” (Thursdays, 8 EST/PST) at the end of the series’ current season April 18. For the past five years, the actress, also an executive producer of the sitcom, anchored “Superstore” as Amy, a cynical big-box store employee who was promoted to manager of her Cloud 9 location.
“The last five years on ‘Superstore’ have been some of the most rewarding, enriching and enjoyable years of my career,” Ferrera, who announced she is expecting a second child, said in a statement. “Producing, directing and acting with this wonderful cast and crew has given me opportunities to grow as a person and storyteller. I’m so grateful to my partners at NBC and Universal Television for the support and belief they have always placed in the show, and I’m most thankful to the brilliant Justin Spitzer for creating the funny, smart and relevant world of ‘Superstore’ and inviting me to be a part of it. As I start the next chapter for my family and career, I wish only the best, and much continued success, to my beloved ‘Superstore’ family.”
It was not clear Friday exactly how Amy will leave Store 1217, but throughout Season 5, she cozied up with Cloud 9 upper management, while her boyfriend, Jonah (Ben Feldman), and other floor workers remain dedicated to unionizing. It’s possible the writers, who are working without creator Spitzer for the first time this year, are setting up the possibility that Amy could leave her St. Louis home for a more lucrative corporate job elsewhere.
It would be a shame for Ferrera’s character to take her final “Superstore” bow this way. Amy has had a complicated journey during her time at Cloud 9, operating as a voice for working mothers in an unforgettable Season 4 episode in which she is denied maternity leave while taking advantage of managerial perks after her promotion. To see her potentially turn her back on her friends and boyfriend to become one of the corporate shills she so frequently criticized in the series’ early seasons would feel like a betrayal.
Beyond Amy’s personal fate, there are big questions about how long “Superstore” could last without Ferrera. Although the series was renewed for Season 6, it’s hard to see in which direction the writers can go without Amy as a guiding light, since her professional pains and goals and her romantic relationship with Jonah have been the biggest storylines.
Ferrera is the show’s most recognizable actor. In the vein of “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation,” “Superstore” is an ensemble comedy, so theoretically, any of the talented supporting actors, such as standouts Nico Santos or Lauren Ash, could pick up the torch.
But we remember what happened to Dunder Mifflin Scranton after Michael Scott (Steve Carell) left. One thing’s for sure, “Superstore” just won’t be the same without its manager.
