Cable sure is a remarkable place. Only somewhere like TBS can a sitcom skate around for a few seasons, entirely unnoticed, and still avoid the axe. Such is the case with “10 Items or Less,” the partially improvised workplace comedy about a rural Ohio grocery store called Greens and Grains.
“10 Items or Less” is a lot like a serialized Christopher Guest movie. It’s supposed to be a comedy, but the dire circumstances and pitiable characters often make it a little bittersweet. Leslie Pool (John Lehr) is the Michael Scott of supermarket managers, and his motley crew of baggers, butchers and cashiers all have unrequited dreams for better lives in Renaissance fairs and the NASCAR circuit. However, their day-to-day struggles are eclipsed by stupidity, and this season alone sees them trying to institute a Lasik surgery booth and competitive turkey bowling into the store in the first handful of episodes.
The buzz: '90s sitcom refugee Kim Coles (“Living Single”) may not have been a part of a hit in the last decade, but she sure does get around. She lands on the new season of “10 Items or Less” as Mercedes “Mercy” P. Jones, the new general manager at Greens and Grains’ biggest rival, mega-chain SuperValueMart. The sooner she drives Leslie out of business, the sooner she can leave Ohio, so expect her to play dirty. Also expect her to be this season’s highlight.
The verdict: It may not be one of the best comedies on television, but it’s still around for a reason. “10 Items or Less” offers more than a few belly laughs per episode, and John Lehr shines in some of the clearly improvised scenes.
Did You Know? “10 Items or Less” is filmed at an actual grocery store in Reseda, California. A Jon’s grocery store serves as the primary shooting location for every episode, sometimes during store hours. Actual customers appear as extras in many scenes.
"10 Items or Less" premieres Tuesday, Jan. 6, at 11 p.m./10c on TBS.
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