Scott D. Pierce: ‘Superior Donuts’ has comedic roots in ‘All In the Family’

If you don't know anything about the history of CBS comedy, "Superior Donuts" certainly seems like a departure.

The first episode deals with issues of race and bigotry. It's not about dumb dads or nerds or broke girls, but it does hark back to "All in the Family," which changed TV when it debuted on CBS back in 1971.

But this is 2017, so Fawz (Maz Jobrani), a successful businessman/Iraqi immigrant, jokes about being mistaken for a terrorist.

"Superior Donuts" premieres Thursday at 7:30 p.m. before moving to its regular time slot on Monday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m. It's based on a 2008 play by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tracy Letts.

Judd Hirsch stars as Arthur, the cantankerous owner of a once-successful, now-struggling business in a Chicago neighborhood that's gone from middle class to crack houses to gentrification. Enter Franco (stand-up comedian Jermaine Fowler), a young, smart, personable, fast-talking African American who wants a job and tries to talk Arthur into updating the shop.

Without asking, Franco starts painting the shop. "Do you like the color?" he asks Arthur. "It's called ancient ivory — like you."

Turns out Franco has gotten in some trouble for his, um, public art displays.

"It's not graffiti, it's social commentary," he says. "Why is it, like, when a white dude like Banksy does it, it's great art and when a black dude does it, it's graffiti?"

"Superior Donuts" is, in many ways, a traditional workplace comedy. The cast includes Randy (Katey Sagal), a cop whose late father was Arthur's best friend; her rookie partner, James (Darien Sills-Evans); Tush (David Koechner), an oddball who uses the shop as an office; an entitled grad student, Maya (Anna Baryshnikov); Franco's pal, Sweatpants (Rell Battle); and Fawz, "a Muslim who is a business owner and a family man and also a little Archie Bunkerish," said executive producer Bob Daily. "He's a little tiny bit racist himself."

Donovan promised, "This isn't going to be an issue-of-the-week show." But issues will come up. In the pilot, Tush walks in, sees Franco — a black man — standing there and asks Arthur if he's being robbed.

Later, Franco says to Randy, "Oh, I must really trust you. I just turned my back on a Chicago cop."

"I'm not going to shoot you," Randy replies. "I've got my body cam on."

It's pretty funny. The pilot episode isn't hilarious, but it's amusing. And it has plenty of potential to turn into a really good show. There's a great deal of talent in front of and behind the cameras.

And while it will deal with race relations and guns and more, Donovan said it will keep "out of the political realm."

"Although if we were to incite a tweet war with the president of the United States, we probably would not turn down the free publicity," Bob Daily said.

"Superior Donuts" should be so lucky.

Scott D. Pierce covers TV for The Salt Lake Tribune. Email him at spierce@sltrib.com; follow him on Twitter @ScottDPierce.