# Superior Donuts (2017)

> A gruff donut shop owner and his ambitious new employee keep their loyal neighborhood patrons together as Chicago gentrifies around them.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/60983

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 34
- Episode runtime: 22 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: Neil Goldman, Bob Daily, Garrett Donovan
- Network: CBS
- Cast: Jermaine Fowler, Judd Hirsch, Katey Sagal, David Koechner, Maz Jobrani, Anna Baryshnikov, Darien Sills-Evans, Rell Battle
- TMDB rating: 6.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5462364/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: warm, wistful, comforting, witty, gentle

## What critics say

Audiences found the show warm and charming, with a strong lead pairing and a gentle, heartfelt take on a changing neighborhood, though it is a conventional sitcom.

## Synopsis

Superior Donuts (2017-2018) is an American single-camera workplace sitcom created by Neil Goldman, Bob Daily, and Garrett Donovan for CBS. Judd Hirsch plays Arthur Przybyszewski, the gruff owner of a small Chicago donut shop, and Jermaine Fowler plays Franco Wicks, his enterprising young employee who wants to modernize the business. Around them orbit the shop's loyal regulars, including Katey Sagal as Randy DeLuca and David Koechner as Carl Tushinski, whose daily rituals keep the counter busy. The engine of each episode is simple: Franco pushes new ideas while Arthur resists change, and the two slowly find common ground as the neighborhood shifts under rising rents and newcomers. Each episode is built around small everyday crises at the shop, with the ensemble trading banter over coffee and pastries. Set in a quickly gentrifying Chicago neighborhood, the show carries a warm, wistful tone and a quiet thread of nostalgia for places that are disappearing. It is a stage-play adaptation with a comforting, character-driven register. Across two seasons and thirty-four episodes, it works as a gentle, low-stakes comedy. Fans of Parks and Recreation, Cheers, and Mike and Molly will find resonance here.

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