NBC has had many hits in the past with workplace comedies. There was “Cheers” in the ’80s/early ’90s and, more recently, “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation” and “30 Rock.” Now the network is going behind-the-scenes of big box retailing with the brand new series “Superstore,” airing Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET.
As the series begins, things are going rather routinely at the megastore Cloud 9 (think Target or Walmart). Glenn (Mark McKinney) is busy working as the store’s bumbling manager; Amy (America Ferrera, who also serves as a producer) keeps things flowing as the humble and responsible floor supervisor; trouble is kept at bay by security guard/human resources manager Dina (Lauren Ash); and young and pregnant Cheyenne (Nichole Bloom) and wheelchair-bound Garrett (Colton Dunn) are dutiful employees. Then, two new hires shake things up: the not-too-serious yet optimistic Jonah (Ben Feldman) and Mateo (Nico Santos), a brownnoser who will do anything to prove his worth and move up the corporate ladder.
“I play that guy from work that everybody hates. He’s really the weasel of the show. It’s a really fun role to play,” explained Santos in an exclusive interview with Headlines & Global News. “My character is just really ambitious and will stop at nothing and will stab anybody in the back who gets in his way. He just zeroes in on Jonah and sees him as his ultimate competition. You’ll see, throughout the season, me just knocking him down every chance I get. It’s an amazing show, and I’m really proud of it.”
This is the 36-year-old’s first major role, having just decided to enter the acting profession a few years ago. Santos was born and raised in the Philippines. He went to Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Ore., to study theater, but that didn’t turn out to be what he had hoped for. “I really wasn’t clicking with having to study classical theater. I didn’t want to do Chekhov or Shakespeare,” he recalled. “So I switched my major from acting to costume design. Eventually, I got a job working as a wardrobe assistant for a theater company. I would dress the actors, fix their costumes, do the quick changes for them and all that stuff.”
However, Santos still had a yearning to perform and, after a colleague suggested he try stand-up comedy because he was funny, Santos decided to go for it. He moved to San Francisco about 10 years ago and embarked on a successful career as a comic. Five years ago, he moved again, this time to Los Angeles. “My intent when I moved to L.A. was to get in good with the comedy clubs and, eventually, try to break into Comedy Central and have my half hour special,” he said. “My manager really encouraged me to try out for the CBS Diversity Showcase, which is presented for industry people. I hadn’t had any sort of improv or sketch comedy training until I went through that program process. That’s kind of how I got into acting. That’s how I got my agent and started auditioning.”
“‘Superstore’ is, like, my fifth acting job,” he continued (in addition to being a regular panelist on “Chelsea Lately” and writing for “Fashion Police,” he’s had small roles on the television series “Ground Floor,” “Mulaney” and “2 Broke Girls,” in the LGBT web series “Go-Go Boy Interrupted” and in the films “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” and “Nobody Walks In L.A.”). “I just lucked out. I feel, sometimes, guilty sharing my story. I really am still pinching myself that I am part of this amazing show with these amazing people because it’s such a joy. We’re already one big happy family!”
As you can probably tell, Santos is very excited to talk about “Superstore.” “I really do think America is going to love the show because it’s about the everyday lives of American people,” he said. “It’s about your work family, and the daily sort of craziness that happens. You’ll recognize people from your work, like, ‘There’s that guy and there’s that guy…’”
According to Santos, the action all takes places within the walls of Cloud 9 this season. The crew did an amazing job building the show’s set on three stages at the Universal lot, making it look like an actual, functioning store. “I keep making my [shopping] list every time I go to work,” joked Santos.
The cast filmed the show’s pilot at a real Kmart in Burbank, Calif. — while it was open to the public! “People would mistake us for actual workers from the store. I was like, ‘I don’t work here, sorry,’ and they thought I was just being bitchy,” said Santos.
Although the funnyman had real-life retail experience from working at high-end boutiques in San Francisco, he never worked at a big box chain. So, to try to emerge himself fully in his character, Santos applied for a position at Target. “I went to their employment computer station and filled out the online application. I sat there for, like, an hour answering all these questions,” he revealed. “I was like, ‘I have a background in retail, eight years selling handbags… I got this. I’m going to get hired. No biggie.’ So I applied and waited a week. Then, I got an email saying, unfortunately, they could not offer me a position at this time. I was like, ‘Excuse me!?’ I’m not going to lie, I was a little hurt.”
Fortunately, Santos has a lifetime of experience shopping in megastores to help him make Mateo extremely believable. “There’s a Target, like, five blocks away from my house, and I find myself going there every other day because either I’m bored or I need milk — and I end up with a full shopping cart of stuff,” he said, adding that he always stocks up on paper towels, toilet paper, shampoo and conditioner because he never wants to be without any of those items. “You got to have your products in the bathroom to make sure you’re clean and fresh,” he said.
Back to the show, Santos said the writers will never run out of topics to cover by having a series set in a public store. There is so much stuff “to poke fun of,” he said, including “having to deal with people who are rude and disrespectful and asking crazy questions.” However, retail workers won’t have to worry about the content of “Superstore” offending them. “The show creates a great balance of super fun, super silly and sometimes serious.”
“Superstore” also does a great job reflecting today’s American workplace by having a diverse cast. “There are seven series regulars and four are people of color. Even just a few years ago, it would have been unheard of to see a cast like this,” stated Santos. “The fact that I am a Filipino actor playing a Filipino role is crazy. Filipinos are the second largest Asian minority in the United States, and we’re hardly represented in the media and on television. I think there’s me, Vincent Rodriguez III on ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ and Reggie Lee on ‘Grimm’ — that’s it. We’re the only Filipino characters right now on television, which is insane to me. I just think it’s about time, and I’m really happy that America seems to be embracing this whole surge of Asian characters on television. Yay!”
When picking up your next frample (that’s how they refer to a free sample at Cloud 9) at your local megastore, just be thankful that the crazy cast of characters from “Superstore” aren’t working there!
To view the first few episodes of “Superstore” online right now, click HERE.
For more on Nico Santos, follow him on Twitter.
