NBC 2023 Winter Programming Preview: ‘American Auto’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

It is rare in this day and age for a comedy to immediately make a splash and impress audiences from the get-go, but the NBC series, American Auto, was able to accomplish that feat in its first year, for several reasons. For starters, this series introduced us to a bevy of quirky and dynamic characters. Ones so well fleshed out and so well written that we immediately fell in love with them, and their wonder and surprising relatability allowed for us to slip into a supremely unique storytelling world as well. One that took us into the heart of corporate America, at the very top no less. A move that allows for this show to satirize the dubious decisions that are made at that level and offers a fascinating accessibility to a world that the everyday world has a genuinely basic understanding of.
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All of which made for an impressive first season. One that left us laughing, and of course, offered us unique insight into life at the top with a motley crew of corporate officers assembled from all walks of life and other various careers in the world. But alas, it has been some time since anyone has discussed the wonder of this series since it has been on hiatus since March of last year. But thankfully, our long and painful wait for more of this unique series is about to come to its end. For later tonight, American Auto returns to the airwaves for its second season premiere. Which we have seen in advance, and we were also fortunate enough to hear the cast and creators speak about season two at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour. Which means, now is the perfect time to preview this show, in a spoiler-free manner of course, to properly prepare you for another great season of storytelling.

Because season two of this dynamic series, does not miss a beat. Since we are plunged right back into this world in a supremely unique manner in tonight’s premiere. One that will address some questions we’ve always had about corporate America and how it handles certain situations. But that’s all we will say about the plot, since again, no spoilers. But what we can say about tonight’s episode beyond that… is that clearly everything jells in season two and feels wonderfully organic and there is good reason for that. For this cast has a season under their belt and are truly comfortable working with one another, and that allows for some real majesty to come to life with the chemistry and the storytelling. Which allows for jokes that hit even harder than the already hilarious ones did in season one and of course, adds depth and meaning the working relationship of the top brass at Payne Motors and this honestly, should come as no surprise.

For when the cast took the stage at the TCA Winter Press Tour, it was inherently obvious that there was a wonderful vibe among them. Which allowed for them to speak in a manner where sentences were finished and riffing took place and that matters, simply because… that’s the kind of stuff that truly makes for great television. Since it speaks to how this cast and the crew have tapped into something special, a lightning in a bottle synergy that allows for the jokes to work better and feel genuine in nature and that is something… you will see on screen often in season two. All of which adds an unexpected ‘slice of life’ feel to season two, something that is further enhanced by how the show always peppers in real world topics, in a comedic light of course, so it never strays into dramatic territory since this show… is all about the laughs.

Which it delivers in spades in season two. To the point where you might need to pause when watching, since the jokes come in rapid fire fashion this year and are hilarious enough that if you don’t pause when wiping tears from your eyes, you might miss the next great one. That makes season two of this dynamic comedy, must-see television. Simply because it remains that perfect blend of comedy and realism and satire, all of which we can use right now, and the best news of all, is that we are hours away from the debut of season two of American Auto on NBC. And we here at NTG hope you give it a look and join us here for our extended coverage via recaps, of this wonderfully refreshing and original comedy.

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Notable Quotables from the ‘American Auto’ TCA Panel

Ana Gasteyer (Katherine Hastings) and Harriet Dyer (Sadie Ryan) Regarding Season Two’s Character Dynamics
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ANA GASTEYER: “It is a little bit of a cheesy reply, but I will say that I do think what's so fun about Season 2 ‑‑ this is always true of second‑season shows ‑‑ it's a workplace comedy, and we come together a little bit more as an "us against them" in a really reliable way.  So, the journey is a little ‑‑ we're more unified and less fractured as a community, I would say, in this season ‑‑
 
HARRIET DYER: “Yeah.”
 
ANA GASTEYER: ‑‑ which is fun.”
 
HARRIET DYER: “And we're better friends, which is nice. I think in the first season, it was really fun to play us against each other because I was scared of getting fired. I didn't know who she (Katherine) was. And now there's a bit of a gal pal/buddy comedy aspect of some of the episodes, which I really, really love.”
 
Justin Spitzer (Executive Producer) and Eric Ledgin (Executive Producer) Regarding the Show’s Satirical Balance

JUSTIN SPITZER: “I think we talk about a story and see where it takes us and try to avoid the trap of every episode being about that. I mean, we were all really excited about the commercial episode. If we were trying to make every episode that, it would get tired and we'd run out of topical areas anyway. 
 
And so you get a few of those.  And then other times, you kind of ‑‑ like you say, you gently talk about things in dialogue without really making it about that.”
 
ERIC LEDGIN: “But I do feel like there's a point, at least with the one that I can think of from this season and the commercial one, where ‑‑ like having a quick moment of, like, ‘Oh, are they going to let us do this?’ And that's usually a good indicator that that's maybe an exciting road to go down if it feels a little bit dicey or something.”
 
Justin Spitzer, Ana Gasteyer, Harriet Dyer, and Humphrey Ker (Elliot) Regarding the Show’s Accessibility to the Audience
 
JUSTIN SPITZER: “It's a challenge for us even in the writers’ room because we want it to be accurate, but we don't know that world either. I think with ‘Superstore,’ a lot of it we could probably guess at, or we knew people who had experience there, and here we don't. 
 
I think, you know, most of our episodes, though, if we need to set something up, we can do it pretty quickly. We're not trying to do anything so hyperspecific where if you don't intricately know the corporate world, you won't understand it.” 
 
ANA GASTEYER: “I think people who work in offices relate to it as much as people who are really into cars.  I mean, we are an automotive culture, so luckily most Americans like to talk about cars.” 
 
HARRIET DYER: “But also kind of ‑‑ the world we live in, there's always someone up higher than someone up higher, and you could kind of imagine what the C‑suite would be like for any kind of company. And I think it's like an imaginative space that we're playing in. Even if people don't know what it's like to walk into that level or even to walk into a car dealership, it's still ‑‑ then it's something different. You know?” 
 
HUMPHREY KER: “One of the things I love the most about this show is that it doesn't talk down to the audience at all.  I think there's often a real danger, particularly in the comedy sphere, that there's this feeling of, like, oh, you need to explain everything to an audience.  Will they get this?  Will they understand this?  Will this resonate with them?  I think if you make good TV, people enjoy it.  You know, I've done some writing and some pitching and some this, that, and the other, and have run into those instances where they're like, ‘Well, hang on.  This is a niche thing.’ 
 
And you think, ‘Well, how many people have ruled over Westeros in America?’ No one has, but they love watching people do it because it's a fascinating and interesting thing. So if you can hit dynamics that are truthful to people, then that will, I think, always be interesting, which is great. Well done us.”