Julie Hinds

Detroit Free Press Pop Culture Critic

NBC's "Superstore" officially premieres at 8 p.m. Monday, but it's already had a typical retail soft opening. The three episodes online (that also have aired previously) reveal a quirky sitcom packed inside the familiar network packaging of a workplace comedy.

Set inside a mega-chain called Cloud 9, the show stars America Ferrara ("Ugly Betty") as the sensible floor supervisor and Ben Feldman ("Mad Men," the short-lived "A to Z") as a new employee whose looks and college credentials don't impress her much.

Their obvious attraction to each other is a background note. The gags are dominated by the supporting characters, led by "Kids In the Hall" veteran Mark McKinney as the store's bumbling manager and Colton Dunn as the skeptical king of the store intercom.

Don't bother checking out this 'Superstore'

But the secret weapon here is the unpredictable writing. Last week's sneak-peek episodes had references to the Illuminati and Hugh Laurie that made you sit up and listen – and also broke the usual rules for working-class comedies.

Instead of mining familiar tropes about put-upon people who hate their jobs, "Superstore" takes a different approach. It's about how dignity, humanity, raw ambition and sheer absurdity comingle in almost every form of employment. It's hired as a mid-winter replacement.