Superstore season 5

The fifth season of Superstore, the American television series, was ordered on March 4, 2019^[1] and filming began in August 2019.^[2] The season premiered on September 26, 2019 on NBC. The series continues to air on its Thursday at 8:00 PM timeslot.^[3] The season was set to contain 22 episodes,^[4] but production was shut down after the completion of the 21st episode due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[5]

Superstore
Season 5
Promotional poster.
Starring	America Ferrera Ben Feldman Lauren Ash Colton Dunn Nico Santos Nichole Bloom Kaliko Kauahi Mark McKinney
No. of episodes	21
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	September 26, 2019 (2019-09-26) – April 23, 2020 (2020-04-23)
Season chronology
List of episodes

Superstore follows a group of employees working at Cloud 9, a fictional big-box store in St. Louis, Missouri. The ensemble and supporting cast feature America Ferrera, Ben Feldman, Lauren Ash, Colton Dunn, Nico Santos, Nichole Bloom, Mark McKinney, and Kaliko Kauahi. Kauahi joins the regular cast after being credited as a recurring character in seasons 1–4.

Cast

Main

• America Ferrera as Amy Sosa
• Ben Feldman as Jonah Simms
• Lauren Ash as Dina Fox
• Colton Dunn as Garrett McNeil
• Nico Santos as Mateo Fernando Aquino Liwanag
• Nichole Bloom as Cheyenne Thompson
• Kaliko Kauahi as Sandra Kaluiokalani
• Mark McKinney as Glenn Sturgis

Recurring

• Jon Barinholtz as Marcus White
• Kelly Stables as Kelly Watson
• Kelly Schumann as Justine Sikowitz
• Irene White as Carol^[6]
• Amir M. Korangy as Sayid
• Linda Porter as Myrtle Vartanian
• Michael Bunin as Jeff Sutton
• Chris Grace as Jerry
• Justina Machado as Maya Fonseca^[7]
• David Wain as Dan the Optometrist
• Rory Scovel as Dr. Brian Patterson, Dina's new boyfriend

Guest cast

• Johnny Pemberton as Bo Derek Thompson^[8]
• Heidi Gardner as Colleen^[7]
• Kerri Kenney-Silver as Jerusha Sturgis
• Jerry Minor as Richard
• Fred Armisen as Kyle
• George Salazar as Eric Sosa
• Ian Gomez as Herb
• Dean Norris as Howard Fox
• Scott MacArthur as Benny
• Jason Ritter as Josh Simms, Jonah's brother
• Fred Melamed as Richard Simms, Jonah's father
• Meagen Fay as Marilyn Simms, Jonah's mother

Episodes

See also: List of Superstore episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date	U.S. viewers (millions)
78	1	"Cloud 9.0"	Jackie Clarke	Jackie Clarke	September 26, 2019 (2019-09-26)	2.86[9]
One week after Mateo’s ICE detainment, Dina, Marcus and a reluctant Garrett concoct a plan to break Mateo out. Amy grows concerned about Cheyenne as she hasn’t visited Mateo. Meanwhile, corporate introduces a new Cloud 9 robot floor cleaner, much to the employees' dismay as it might steal their jobs. Also, Sandra wants to tell everyone about her engagement to Jerry, but no one will listen.
79	2	"Testimonials"	Matt Sohn	Bridget Kyle & Vicky Luu	October 3, 2019 (2019-10-03)	2.78[10]
Amy rallies the employees together as Mateo’s deportation lawyer comes to Cloud 9 for testimony in Mateo’s defense. Jeff mentions that corporate only went after Mateo upon learning the Ozark Highlands employees were threatening to unionize, but is afraid to testify to this for fear of losing his job. Meanwhile, after repeated denials from Dina, Sandra is convinced that she’s throwing her a surprise engagement party. Jonah goes behind Dina’s back and tries to organize a party. Also, Cheyenne holds auditions for who should take Mateo’s work locker.
80	3	"Forced Hire"	Victor Nelli, Jr.	Colton Dunn	October 10, 2019 (2019-10-10)	2.79[11]
After discovering that her nemesis Colleen (Heidi Gardner) was transferred to the Ozark Highlands store, Dina blackmails Garrett into getting Colleen to quit. Mateo visits the store and immediately finds himself fixing others' mistakes, ending up working an unpaid day. Glenn and Cheyenne get annoyed with Mateo as he begins to take things too far. Meanwhile, Jonah is forced to hang out with Marcus and the rest of the warehouse crew to get them back on the side of unionizing. Also, Sandra continues to plan for her wedding, albeit on company time.
81	4	"Mall Closing"	Rebecca Asher	Owen Ellickson	October 17, 2019 (2019-10-17)	2.94[12]
Amy announces that the local mall is closing and to expect heavier foot traffic and increased sales, especially from teenagers. Amy soon discovers that Emma is one of the teenagers, and goes to great lengths to not be boring around her daughter's friends. Dina, on the other hand wants to kick everyone out when she notices the teenagers just want to hang out and not buy anything. Meanwhile, Cheyenne discovers that she's not as cool and trendy as she thought she was, while it's the opposite for Sandra as teenagers want to hang out with her. Jonah and Garrett try to trick Mateo into taking a loan while the latter looks for a job. Also, Carol returns to Cloud 9 with a new lease on life.
82	5	"Self-Care"	Richie Keen	Rene Gube	October 24, 2019 (2019-10-24)	2.84[13]
After a series of days in which she worked too hard, Jonah and Cheyenne suggest that Amy should take a nap during work. Trying to cover for Amy, Cheyenne takes a call from an inspector who wants to visit the store a day earlier than planned, with the inspector arriving while the store is a mess. Meanwhile, after Glenn is diagnosed with diabetes, Dina takes control of his diet. Also, Mateo is able to obtain a new position at Cloud 9 as an eye care assistant upon learning that the optical company is separate therefrom, but the optometrist, aware of his new subordinate's undocumented status, blackmails him into becoming his life coach.
83	6	"Trick-or-Treat"	Heather Jack	Laura McCreary	October 31, 2019 (2019-10-31)	3.09[14]
It’s Halloween time at Cloud 9, and as Amy and Jonah are close to a unionization vote, the new District Manager, Maya, comes to the store. Amy does everything in her power to distract Maya, but things get complicated when Kelly arrives from the Fenton store to drop off their signed union cards and Maya recognizes her. Garrett and Glenn manage the store's haunted house, and Garrett has some fun when Glenn loses his phone and is afraid to go back in. Meanwhile, Marcus wears a complicated dragon outfit, only to be told that the store no longer runs a costume contest. Also, Cheyenne and Mateo judge all the employees to see which one could be a serial killer that's in the news.
84	7	"Shoplifter Rehab"	Chioke Nassor	Justin Shanes	November 7, 2019 (2019-11-07)	2.61[15]
As District Manager Maya continues to observe the store, Jonah and Glenn come up with a plan to make Amy look like a tough store manager and to gain control and respect of the employees. Maya invites Amy to lunch, where she proceeds to tell Amy that she has a great chance to move up with Cloud 9, but not if she's sympathetic to the union movement. Meanwhile, Dina asks Mateo to help her out with an anti-shoplifter seminar. Also, Sandra gets some unexpected bonding time with Carol.
85	8	"Toy Drive"	Jay Hunter	Dayo Adesokan	November 14, 2019 (2019-11-14)	2.76[16]
Amy and Jonah come up with an idea to have Mateo run a toy donation drive for needy kids so he will look good at his deportation hearing. At the same time, a representative from another charity (Fred Armisen) takes business away from Mateo, forcing a string of escalated retaliations to occur. Meanwhile, Sandra asks Glenn to officiate for her upcoming wedding. Also, after being dumped by Colleen, Garrett tries to hide that fact from both Dina and Cheyenne.
86	9	"Curbside Pickup"	Catalina Aguilar Mastretta	John Kazlauskas	November 21, 2019 (2019-11-21)	2.65[17]
Amy announces that corporate has introduced the new Cloud 9 Curbside Pickup option for customers, and asks Dina to run the operations along with Jonah and Cheyenne. Things immediately get out of control when numerous orders come in, making them almost impossible to fulfill within the 30 minute promise time. Later on, Dina takes it upon herself to run the service and prove it can be done. Meanwhile, Amy’s brother Eric has been in town for over two weeks, so she pushes him to date Mateo to get him out of her house. Also, Sandra asks Garrett to spend quality time with her fiancé Jerry.
87	10	"Negotiations"	Betsy Thomas	L.E. Correia	December 12, 2019 (2019-12-12)	2.67[18]
Jonah and Sandra travel to Chicago to negotiate a labor contract with corporate. Back in the store, Mateo, Glenn and Garrett have a competition to see who can sell the most useless items to customers. While waiting for news from the union meeting, Amy, Dina and Cheyenne chop down a pine tree outside the store to use for a Christmas display, but they drop it on a transformer unit which causes a blackout. The episode ends with corporate accepting the proposal from Jonah and Sandra. However, Amy receives news from Maya that the Cloud 9 company has been bought out, and the new owners will not recognize any existing labor contracts.
88	11	"Lady Boss"	America Ferrera	Jackie Clarke	January 9, 2020 (2020-01-09)	2.59[19]
Following the acquisition of Cloud 9 by Zephra, the employees begin to jump to conclusions regarding the fate of their ongoing employment. Amy stresses out when produce orders fail to arrive, and begins searching for a new floor supervisor with her sights set on Glenn. Meanwhile, searching for a cause after the failed union efforts, Jonah sets up a mannequin display that comes across as pro-feminist. Led by Marcus, the men start to feel threatened, and take a stand for masculinity in the store. Also, Sandra recruits Dina and Garrett to break the news to Carol that she's not invited to the wedding, with those efforts ultimately backfiring.
89	12	"Myrtle"	Tristram Shapeero	Hailey Chavez	January 16, 2020 (2020-01-16)	2.67[20]
The employees at Cloud 9 mourn the loss of fellow employee Myrtle. Jonah is shocked to discover that Myrtle left him $1,000. Feeling guilty about having the money, Jonah gives it to Glenn to use for funeral costs, but learns he’s giving all the money to his pastor (who asserts he can help ensure Myrtle will get into heaven). Meanwhile, Dina reunites with her father, thinking that he has changed, but soon discovers he's still the same guy. Also, Cheyenne ropes Mateo into a pyramid scheme.
90	13	"Favoritism"	Robert Cohen	Bridget Kyle & Vicky Luu	January 23, 2020 (2020-01-23)	2.73[21]
When Amy announces that Jonah is being given time off for a corporate meeting and that Mateo is going to replace Myrtle as her new assistant, Marcus and several other employees accuse Amy of showing favoritism in certain cases. Many (Marcus included) ask her to interview them for the assistant position, and Amy is surprised by the results. Meanwhile, Dina and Glenn, now the floor supervisor, clash over who has higher authority when they ask Sandra to set up a display of new Zephra products. Also, Jonah tries to bond with Garrett to prove he is still one of the guys, but ends up causing a rift between Garrett and his friend Randy.
91	14	"Sandra's Wedding"	Ruben Fleischer	Owen Ellickson	January 30, 2020 (2020-01-30)	2.78[22]
It’s Sandra’s wedding day and as her maid of honor, Dina is on full alert when she sees signs that Carol is plotting something to ruin the ceremony. With Dina occupied, Amy steps in to assist Sandra by setting up decorations. Jonah has a talk with a catering employee about their pay rate and mentions his Raise the Wage group, which inspires the catering staff to walk out. Meanwhile, Garrett struggles to come up with a best man speech after Glenn steals his. Also, Mateo hesitates to start a new relationship with Amy's brother Eric after being embarrassed by his ankle monitor sounding an alarm.
92	15	"Cereal Bar"	Kris Lefcoe	Laura McCreary	February 13, 2020 (2020-02-13)	2.35[23]
When Amy announces that Zephra has installed a new cereal bar for the employees, Jonah has suspicions about what the new Cloud 9 owner’s real intentions are. Meanwhile, Dina enlists help from Cheyenne to take down a man (Scott MacArthur) suspected of return scams, but it becomes difficult after the guy begins flirting with Dina. Also, Garrett tries to trick Glenn into giving him paid time off due to mental distress.
93	16	"Employee App"	Justin Spitzer	Justin Shanes	February 20, 2020 (2020-02-20)	2.63[24]
The privacy of its employees is violated after an employee app begins to track their whereabouts. Amy begins to get annoyed when Dina constantly texts her after she discovers emojis. Jonah begins to get skeptical about the app and pranks Garrett in the process.
94	17	"Zephra Cares"	Victor Nelli, Jr.	Rene Gube	February 27, 2020 (2020-02-27)	2.57[25]
Amy’s idea about organizing a charity event involving Zephra is jeopardized when Jeff makes a surprising return. Meanwhile, Glenn lends a helping hand to his fellow employees by stealing some of the charity gift bags. Sandra begins to get uncomfortable around Jonah when he asks her to solicit customers to round up the grocery bill for the same charity. Also, Garrett tries to prove to Dina that he is smarter than her.
95	18	"Playdate"	Matt Sohn	Jen Vierck	March 19, 2020 (2020-03-19)	3.59[26]
Forced to take her son Parker to work, Amy grows tired of the criticism of her parenting, especially from Glenn when Jerusha brings their child Rose. Later on, Amy and Glenn battle against each other to see who has the best parenting skills. Meanwhile, Garrett helps Dina plan her first date with new boyfriend Brian after discovering that she made unusual arrangements. Also, Sandra and Cheyenne set out to see if Jonah might be the father of Amy’s child Parker instead of her ex-husband Adam.
96	19	"Carol's Back"	Ben Feldman	John Kazlauskas	March 26, 2020 (2020-03-26)	3.41[27]
After Carol returns to work following her suspension for trying to kill Sandra's cat, Amy struggles to rally the employees, given that they all still fear Carol. Meanwhile, Jonah and Cheyenne attend a "Raise the Wage" rally, wherein Cheyenne convinces Jonah that he looks too much like a "narc" to the other protesters. Also, after being assigned to clean the back stock room, Garrett and Mateo use a temp app to get someone else to do the labor.
97	20	"Customer Safari"	Jay Karas	L.E. Correia	April 2, 2020 (2020-04-02)	3.15[28]
As Amy takes a day off to have lunch with Jonah's family and Dina has an in-store lunch with new fling Brian, Garrett rallies the employees to play a game of "customer safari" wherein they take pictures of the weirdest customers to earn points. Acting manager Glenn knows something is going on, but is clueless to stop it, so Dina enlists Brian to help her expose the game. At their lunch, Amy urges Jonah to stand up to his condescending brother, Josh (Jason Ritter), which leads to Jonah's parents splitting while Josh's girlfriend leaves him. When Amy returns to work, she gets a phone call and learns that Maya recommended her for a corporate director position in Palo Alto, California.
98	21	"California (Part 1)"	Betsy Thomas	Dayo Adesokan	April 23, 2020 (2020-04-23)	3.01[29]
After being recommended for a corporate job in California, Amy asks Dina to not tell Jonah that she's going. Meanwhile, it's Cheyenne's 21st birthday and Mateo makes suggestions on what to do for her party. Deciding that Mateo's suggestions are lame, Cheyenne turns to Bo for his ideas, which are wildly different. Having heard that Sandra is considering adopting a child, Glenn asks her to foster a 17-year-old, much to her dismay. After Jonah learns about Amy's interview and subsequent decision to accept the job, Jonah reveals that he wants to move to California with her.

Production

Casting

In season 5, Kaliko Kauahi, who had portrayed Sandra Kaluiokalani since the first season, was promoted to series regular.^[30] Justina Machado joined the cast as a recurring character, playing the new district manager Maya. Heidi Gardner was cast as Dina's nemesis Colleen.^[7]

America Ferrera’s departure

After NBC had initially announced the sixth season renewal of the series, the network revealed on February 28, 2020, that series star America Ferrera would be departing at the end of the fifth season, citing she has new projects and wants to spend more time with her family.^[31] However, due to season 5 production being halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ferrera returned to finish the story of Amy's departure in season 6.^[32]

Promotional consideration

Episode 17 contained promotional consideration which was furnished by Microsoft.

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of Superstore season 5

No.	Title	Air date	Rating/share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	DVR (18–49)	Total (18–49)
1	"Cloud 9.0"	September 26, 2019	0.8/4	2.86[9]	0.4	1.2[33]
2	"Testimonials"	October 3, 2019	0.8/4	2.78[10]	0.4	1.1[34]
3	"Forced Hire"	October 10, 2019	0.8/4	2.79[11]	—	—
4	"Mall Closing"	October 17, 2019	0.8/4	2.94[12]	0.5	1.3[35]
5	"Self-Care"	October 24, 2019	0.8/4	2.84[13]	0.3	1.1[36]
6	"Trick-or-Treat"	October 31, 2019	0.7/4	3.09[14]	0.4	1.1[37]
7	"Shoplifter Rehab"	November 7, 2019	0.7/4	2.61[15]	0.4	1.1[38]
8	"Toy Drive"	November 14, 2019	0.8/4	2.76[16]	0.3	1.1[39]
9	"Curbside Pickup"	November 21, 2019	0.7/4	2.65[17]	0.3	1.0[40]
10	"Negotiations"	December 12, 2019	0.6/3	2.67[18]	0.4	1.0[41]
11	"Lady Boss"	January 9, 2020	0.7/3	2.59[19]	0.4	1.0[42]
12	"Myrtle"	January 16, 2020	0.6/4	2.67[20]	0.4	1.0[43]
13	"Favoritism"	January 23, 2020	0.7/4	2.73[21]	0.3	1.0[44]
14	"Sandra’s Wedding"	January 30, 2020	0.7/4	2.78[22]	0.3	1.0[45]
15	"Cereal Bar"	February 13, 2020	0.6	2.35[23]	0.4	1.0[46]
16	"Employee App"	February 20, 2020	0.7	2.63[24]	—	—
17	"Zephra Cares"	February 27, 2020	0.6	2.57[25]	0.3	0.9[47]
18	"Playdate"	March 19, 2020	0.9	3.59[26]	0.4	1.3[48]
19	"Carol's Back"	March 26, 2020	0.9	3.41[27]	—	—
20	"Customer Safari"	April 2, 2020	0.7	3.15[28]	0.3	1.0[49]
21	"California (Part 1)"	April 23, 2020	0.7	3.01[29]	0.3	1.0[50]