Nichole Bloom Wrote A Haiku For ‘Superstore’ Co-Star Mark McKinney
In last week’s episode of Superstore, Nichole Bloom and Mark McKinney — a.k.a. Cheyenne and Glenn of the big box store’s crew — had a few bonding moments on the top of the building as they tried to repair the ill-functioning temperature control system. It’s one of the few times the teen mom and store manager have had scenes just with one another, and as Bloom wrote in her blog for Entertainment Weekly, it inspired her to write a haiku to her co-star.
“You probably already know Mark is a comedic mastermind, but did you also know he is actually one of the best people to work with, and one of the best people in general because he is polite and playful? Twisted but innocent! Loud but sensitive! It’s so hard for me to put into words, but here is a haiku I wrote to reflect my experience of working closely with Mark, and I hope you enjoyed the episode!
Jokes come so easy
Fake snow in Los Angeles
Spring flowers in Mark”
Cheyenne had to convince Glenn the store needed him after the affable manager got down on himself, and for a time even committed to travelling the world with him so they could eat noodles at a McDonald’s restaurant in Asia.
Cheyenne’s pregnancy led to Superstore‘s dramatic season one finale, when Glenn gave the new mother unapproved maternity leave, getting him fired and leading the store staff to walk out in protest. In an interview with The Mercury News at the start of season two last fall, Bloom said she was interested to see how her character’s story would play out given her transition into motherhood while still being in school and maintaining a relationship with her child’s father.
Superstore has been a rare comedic role for Bloom, who has also appeared on Grey’s Anatomy and Shameless. She told Mercury News that her combined heritage — her mother is Japanese and her father is Caucasian — has proven to be something of a barrier in the entertainment industry.
“I’ve heard a lot of discouraging things. When you don’t fit a mold it’s very hard for people to know what to do with you. But I just kept at it.”
Superstore is apparently a sweet spot for Bloom, as the show, whose first season was a half-order of only 11 episodes, has slowly grown an audience. It received a full order of episodes for season two and, as EW reported last week, has just been picked up for a third season. In statement excerpts published by the magazine, an NBC executive praised Superstore for its character development and storylines that are not only humorous but thought-provoking and topical.
“We are extremely proud of Superstore, which is one of the smartest and funniest comedies on television today. Through the show’s expertly drawn characters, our producers and cast do a remarkable job touching on many issues in which audiences can relate. To its credit, not only does Superstore make us laugh, but it makes us think as well.”
During the show’s second season, subtle topics underneath the overarching plotlines have included labor rights (“Strike”), competing political views (“Guns, Pills and Birds”), and sexual harassment (“Valentine’s Day”). That followed the thought-provoking first season, whose finale included a store session with a “labor relations consultant” after two of the employees accidentally use the words “union” and “strike” during a phone call with corporate. The A.V. Club recapped that episode and community users gave it a grade of “A.”
Superstore airs Thursday nights on NBC.
[Featured image by Rich Polk/Getty Images]
