Nothing is further away than only yesterday. Networks and streaming platforms revel in the 1980s and ‘90, but just last March can seem like a century ago.
So, give the returning sitcom “Superstore” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-14) some credit for trying to laugh away the past eight months or so. Unlike “Connecting,” which mines humor from Zoom chats and other forms of social distancing, tonight’s sixth season premiere shows how the gang of knuckleheads at the Cloud 9 Superstore react to the first news of the pandemic and follows them over the months as they cope with masks, counter-wipedowns, entitled and selfish mask-resisting customers.
toilet paper hoarding, the “Tiger King” obsession and other hallmarks of the COVID era.
As the episode begins, Amy (America Ferrera) and Jonah (Ben Feldman) are about to depart for the California headquarters of the new parent company. But office closures force them to remain among the “essential” employees. The show makes much of Amy’s time being devoured by jargon-filled Zoom conference calls and the empty praise from corporate bigshots who prove stingy with protective gear and pay raises.
Not unlike Christmas or Halloween episodes that seem so strange when repeated in May, one has to wonder how well this COVID-related pilot will age. Will it seem a relic of a very particular time? Or a harbinger of a new normal? Will anybody find this funny two years from now? Is it funny now? Or, as they say in comedy, “too soon”?
Not to give too much away, but one of the “Superstore” characters contracts COVID and emerges from a coma to enjoy “Tiger King” just a few months after it has been considered passe by the rest of the gang. Nobody sent that memo to the Travel Channel, home to the “Ghost Adventures” (9 p.m., TV-14) special, “Horror at Joe Exotic Zoo.”
— Alicia Keys, America Ferrera and Kerry Washington host “Every Vote Counts: A Celebration of Democracy” (9 p.m., CBS), an hourlong celebration of the ballot box. Participants include Amy Schumer, Chris Rock, Cobie Smulders, Coldplay, Condoleezza Rice, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Lopez, John Kasich, Kelly Clarkson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Natalie Portman, Shaquille O’Neal, Tan France, Wilmer Valderrama and more, with musical performances by Keys, Dan + Shay, Offset and Shawn Mendes.
— Sundance debuts “Deutchland 89” (11 p.m., TV-14), the third and final season of the “Deutschland” series, recalling members of the East German political class on the eve of the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the renunciation of Communism and the unification of Germany. A stylish and compelling series, which, like “The Americans,” dares to look at characters from “the other side” as three-dimensional humans with allegiances and motivations of their own.
Series creator Anna Winger’s production company also created Netflix’s “Unorthodox,” arguably the best series of 2020.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— The Carolina Panthers host the Atlanta Falcons in NFL action (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG).
— A business trip to Alaska brings romance in the 2020 holiday bauble “Jingle Bell Bride” (8 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
— Directed by Wes Craven, the 1984 shocker “Nightmare on Elm Street” (8 p.m., Syfy, TV-14) created a franchise, established a new horror icon in Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), starred an up-and-comer named Johnny Depp and all but established the film company New Line Studios.
— A strange encounter on “Star Trek: Discovery” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
A young filmmaker (Winona Ryder) documents her Texas friends in director and star Ben Stiller’s 1994 Gen-X comedy “Reality Bites” (9 p.m., MoMax), co-starring Ethan Hawke and Janeane Garofalo.
SERIES NOTES
Secret correspondence on “Young Sheldon” (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) … “Celebrity Family Feud” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … Dean departs with Jack on “Supernatural” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14) … Bonnie’s shrink is wrapped too tight on “Mom” (8:30 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … Remote entertaining on “Connecting” (8:30 p.m. NBC, TV-PG) … “Dateline” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) … “Press Your Luck” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … Tobin has to choose on “The Outpost” (9 p.m., CW, TV-PG) … “Match Game” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
“The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” (11 p.m., Comedy Central) practices social distancing … Simon Pegg appears on “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes America Ferrera, David Dobrik and Brothers Osborne on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Chris Evans and Perfume Genius appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (11:35 p.m., ABC) … Rosie O’Donnell, Shepard Smith and Sleaford Mods visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC).
