Superior Donuts To Offer Fresh And Delicious Take On Today's Sitcom
Cast and crew gathered at the 2017 TCA Winter Tour to serve up a sweet glimpse into their new comedy.
Posted on Jan 9, 2017 | 01:25pm
You "donut" have to know much about the cast of Superior Donuts to know the new CBS comedy is bound to be equal parts innovative and deliciously funny when the show premieres on Thursday, Feb 2 at 8:30/7:30c, after The Big Bang Theory at 8/7c.
On Monday, Jan. 9, stars Judd Hirsch, Jermaine Fowler, and Katey Sagal joined Executive Producers Garrett Donovan, Neil Goldman, and Bob Daily at The Langham Pasadena for the CBS Television Critics Association 2017 Winter Tour.
At the event, the cast and crew explained more about the freshman sitcom, which is based on a play of the same title, and follows Arthur (Hirsch), the owner of a small donut shop located in a quickly gentrifying Chicago neighborhood.
Arthur isn't eager to evolve with the times until an enterprising go-getter named Franco (Fowler) fast-talks his way into Superior Donuts, scores a spot as Arthur's newest employee, and convinces him to bring the shop into the 21st century.
Left to right: Garrett Donovan, Neil Goldman, Bob Daily, Jermaine Fowler, Judd Hirsch, and Katey Sagal
How did all these talented comedians come together to bond over baked goods? Well, Fowler, a well-respected standup comic, was already attached to star on the show before the original pilot was reworked and recast.
And that's where Hirsch and Sagal came in...
While the two TV vets were guest starring on The Big Bang Theory—Hirsch as Leonard's dad and Sagal as Penny's mom—Judd turned to Katey and said, "Hey, you should do this!"
"This" being Superior Donuts, of course.
"The material drew me in," Sagal said. "I love Jermaine and Mr. Hirsch, so I was honored to be asked to be with them."
Superior Donuts, which will touch on many important topics like gentrification, stereotypes, and racial profiling, but will not, however, jump on the political bandwagon; instead, the writers are going to let the characters react to the events going on around them.
"Our focus is on who these characters are and the issues we focus on will be through the lens of their characters," Goldman explained. "It’s not a political kind of thing. We’re never going to say the words 'Democrat' or 'Republican.'"
The Executive Producer added, "Our goal is to entertain, but these topics are very relevant real and current. It [just] makes sense that these characters will talk and argue about it. At the end of the day, everyone gets along and everyone likes each other. It’s a family."
With Fowler coming from such a strong standup comedy background, what attracted the young actor to the world of 30-minute sitcoms?
"I was raised watching sitcoms and I love long-form comedy," Fowler said. "Doing a show like this has always been my dream. I love acting and writing."
Also a fan of donuts—well, only glazed ones—Fowler let the salivating audience in on something everyone was wondering: not all the donuts on set are real. In fact, the prop pastries could chip a tooth, so Fowler is very careful about what desserts he puts in his mouth.
Watch Superior Donuts on Mondays at 9/8c after Man With A Plan on CBS and CBS All Access.
On Monday, Jan. 9, stars Judd Hirsch, Jermaine Fowler, and Katey Sagal joined Executive Producers Garrett Donovan, Neil Goldman, and Bob Daily at The Langham Pasadena for the CBS Television Critics Association 2017 Winter Tour.
At the event, the cast and crew explained more about the freshman sitcom, which is based on a play of the same title, and follows Arthur (Hirsch), the owner of a small donut shop located in a quickly gentrifying Chicago neighborhood.
Arthur isn't eager to evolve with the times until an enterprising go-getter named Franco (Fowler) fast-talks his way into Superior Donuts, scores a spot as Arthur's newest employee, and convinces him to bring the shop into the 21st century.
Left to right: Garrett Donovan, Neil Goldman, Bob Daily, Jermaine Fowler, Judd Hirsch, and Katey Sagal
How did all these talented comedians come together to bond over baked goods? Well, Fowler, a well-respected standup comic, was already attached to star on the show before the original pilot was reworked and recast.
And that's where Hirsch and Sagal came in...
While the two TV vets were guest starring on The Big Bang Theory—Hirsch as Leonard's dad and Sagal as Penny's mom—Judd turned to Katey and said, "Hey, you should do this!"
"This" being Superior Donuts, of course.
"The material drew me in," Sagal said. "I love Jermaine and Mr. Hirsch, so I was honored to be asked to be with them."
Superior Donuts, which will touch on many important topics like gentrification, stereotypes, and racial profiling, but will not, however, jump on the political bandwagon; instead, the writers are going to let the characters react to the events going on around them.
"Our focus is on who these characters are and the issues we focus on will be through the lens of their characters," Goldman explained. "It’s not a political kind of thing. We’re never going to say the words 'Democrat' or 'Republican.'"
The Executive Producer added, "Our goal is to entertain, but these topics are very relevant real and current. It [just] makes sense that these characters will talk and argue about it. At the end of the day, everyone gets along and everyone likes each other. It’s a family."
With Fowler coming from such a strong standup comedy background, what attracted the young actor to the world of 30-minute sitcoms?
"I was raised watching sitcoms and I love long-form comedy," Fowler said. "Doing a show like this has always been my dream. I love acting and writing."
Also a fan of donuts—well, only glazed ones—Fowler let the salivating audience in on something everyone was wondering: not all the donuts on set are real. In fact, the prop pastries could chip a tooth, so Fowler is very careful about what desserts he puts in his mouth.
Watch Superior Donuts on Mondays at 9/8c after Man With A Plan on CBS and CBS All Access.