American Auto - General Discussion

[AnimeMania]

[AnimeMania]

S02.E01: Crisis 

Katherine and the team bring in crisis manager Ian Osofsky to help combat the negative publicity the company is receiving from accusations it covered up defective auto parts.

Premiere Date: January 24, 2023     NBC    8:30pm 
Eric Stonestreet as Ian Osofsky, Crisis Manager

[ItCouldBeWorse]

This show has a lot of good one-liners and sight gags.

I don't know how you come back from a fire that large, even though I assume that no civilians or firefighters will be harmed.

I don't mind constipation jokes, but this ongoing one was so impossible that it took me out of the show.  The discomfort she would be feeling would be off any chart.

[AnimeMania]

I laughed quite a few times, so I would say this was the best episode of the series. I enjoyed the shot of the frogs covering the sidewalk.

I was surprised Katherine told her team what she did to save their jobs, I was hoping they would find out some other way, so that they would be more self motivated to help her succeed at her job.

That camping gear was way more than 300 pounds, that "not a car, a light SUV" was stuffed.

[appositival]

Perhaps this show would be better classified as a tragedy. The press interviews would certainly qualify.

So Payne has graduated from dumpster fire to forest fire. The SUV family had a phone, didn't they call the fire department?

[ItCouldBeWorse]

3 hours ago, appositival said:

Payne has graduated from dumpster fire to forest fire. The SUV family had a phone, didn't they call the fire department?

I assume they did. Wildfires can spread quickly, like . . . wildfires.

[nelroy78]

I enjoyed Ana Gatseyer on The Goldbergs as Ms. Cinoman so I definitely wanted to check this out. It wasn’t easy for me. The perm was OK but I found most of Season 1 really boring. I stopped watching in the middle of the fourth episode last year. Had trouble getting into the episodes. But I put the remaining episodes on keep just in case I reconsidered and I finally finished Season 1 Sunday. It still took me til like the 8th episode to really get into it. The last three episodes of Season 1 were better. The season premiere (which to me could’ve been last season’s finale) was its best episode yet.

[AnimeMania]

S02.E02: Most Hated CEO

Ian and Sadie attempt to rehab Katherine's image from the pawl controversy by staging a phony video with Katherine's family and a visit to "Late Night with Seth Meyers." 

Premiere Date: January 31, 2023     NBC    8:30pm 
Eric Stonestreet as Ian
Brad Hall as Richard

Frances McKittrick as Maddie
Seth Meyers as Seth Meyers 

[AnimeMania]

Somewhat funny, but it was very engaging and got me to do a lot of thinking about what was happening. 

[appositival]

Seth Meyers can be pretty terrifying when he's being honest. "I hope you go to jail".

[AnimeMania]

S02.E03: Celebrity

When Payne loses their spokesperson, Katherine and the team go to great lengths to woo a new celebrity -- Andy Richter -- only to have second thoughts.

Premiere Date: February 7, 2023     NBC    8:30pm 

Andy Richter as Andy Richter 
Ryan Reynolds as Ryan Reynolds
Matt Oberg as Gary
Matthew Moy as Dale
Romel De Silva as Greg

[DanaK]

I can’t believe they got Ryan Reynolds for a cameo. Then the team ditched Andy for Ryan and then Ryan passed. It was funny how Andy reacted to being dropped

[appositival]

Andy Richter looked different to me. I kept trying to reconcile his looks with my memories of him, and I kept ending up in the uncanny valley.

They are truly meat dogs.

[Moose135]

2 hours ago, appositival said:

Andy Richter looked different to me. I kept trying to reconcile his looks with my memories of him, and I kept ending up in the uncanny valley.

I haven't seen him in ages, and I didn't recognize him. My first thought was they accidently called some random 'Andy Richter' thinking he was the actor, and they were offering the deal to the wrong guy.

[yourdreamer]

On 2/7/2023 at 10:24 PM, DanaK said:

I can’t believe they got Ryan Reynolds for a cameo. Then the team ditched Andy for Ryan and then Ryan passed. It was funny how Andy reacted to being dropped

I assumed they got Ryan Reynolds because Humphrey Ker, who plays lawyer Elliot, is involved in the Wrexham soccer club that Ryan and Rob McElhenny own (maybe manager or director or something?). 

[AnimeMania]

S02.E04: Cost Cutting

In an effort to reduce costs, Jack, Cyrus and Elliot have to let go of some employees while Wesley and Dori search for office savings; Sadie helps prep Katherine for her first post-crisis TV interview.

Premiere Date: February 14, 2023     NBC    8:30pm 

Phil Reeves as Syd
Matthew Moy as Dale
Darlene Hunt as Deborah
Diallo Riddle as Colin
Jennifer Kindhouse as Dr. Kazemi
Caitlin Kimball as Phoebe

[DanaK]

Really enjoyed tonight’s episode, especially the segments with the staff trying to fire people

[possibilities]

Just sell the corporate jet and fire the dude who's wasting funds using it, and voila! The inability to even put that on the table is the obvious problem. Nepo babies!

[AnimeMania]

S02.E05: Going Green

Katherine and the team head to Silicon Valley to invest in green tech, including Sandbox, a potentially bogus company founded by Wesley’s friend, Chase.

Premiere Date: February 21, 2023     NBC    8:30pm 

Ben Feldman as Chase
Matty Cardarople as Dustin
Matthew Moy as Dale
Danielle Hoetmer as Analyst
Will Collyer as Ford Ex
Jaime Barcelon as GM Ex
Don O. Knowlton as Hedge Fund Guy
Colbert Alembert as Tech Guy 2
Michael Sung-Ho as Tech Guy 3
Efrain Gomez as Tech Guy 4
Eric Staves as Tech Guy 5
Arya Farzin as VC Friend
Sarah Chang as WSJ Reporter

It is possible this was originally episode 4. Let's see if we can find some proof that this episode came before the Cost Cutting episode. 

[DanaK]

Did they actually invest several million in a company with a sand battery idea that was likely a crock?

[redpencil]

I was highly amused by the montage of them calling around about Sand Box and inadvertently creating the hype in the process. But man, this is going to crash and burn on them.

[AnimeMania]

6 hours ago, redpencil said:

I was highly amused by the montage of them calling around about Sand Box and inadvertently creating the hype in the process. But man, this is going to crash and burn on them.

It seemed like if they could sell right away, they would have made money.

[questionfear]

On 2/22/2023 at 7:06 AM, AnimeMania said:

It seemed like if they could sell right away, they would have made money.

It's also not actually going to cost them that much if it's all a scam. Even if Katherine and co got sucked in, the second the lawyers did due diligence the entire thing would be off and they'd pay a small percentage to break the deal at worst. 

[Lovecat]

I was surprised to see Scott Baio show up in a prominent guest role, and even more surprised that he was really good and I didn’t want to punch him in the neck…and then I realized that was Ben Feldman.  Derp.

[AnimeMania]

S02.E06: The Letter

Katherine has to go on a “listening tour” after a group of younger employees demand the company stop contributing to pro-life politicians. The men of the office are charged with writing Payne’s policies regarding abortion.

Premiere Date: February 28, 2023     NBC    8:30pm 

Elizabeth Hinkler as Chloe
Caitlin Kimball as Phoebe
Tirosh Schneider as Joshua
Natalie Cabo as Harper
David Theune as Tom
Korama Danquah as Allison
Sara Sevigny as Joy
Pam Trotter as Elaine
Jennifer Shelton as HR Video Narrator
Abigail Kate Thomas as Ruby
Meighan La Rocca as Mandy

[DanaK]

Man, several groups of messes. Somehow, I think Katherine came out on top in the end

[DanaK]

Director Lara Everly talks about directing “The Letter” 

https://www.givememyremote.com/remote/2023/02/28/american-auto-lara-everly-directing-the-letter-interview/

[possibilities]

I thought that was the best episode by far. Genuinely funny.

[bluegirl147]

4 hours ago, possibilities said:

I thought that was the best episode by far. Genuinely funny.

Loved this episode.  IMO it was funny because it was true.

[mansonlamps]

24 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Loved this episode.  IMO it was funny because it was true.

Totally agree.  Whoever wrote this hit all the right notes IMO.  Each generation has hypocritical things to criticize about the others and it was fun to see that unfold. 

[DanaK]

10 minutes ago, mansonlamps said:

Totally agree.  Whoever wrote this hit all the right notes IMO.  Each generation has hypocritical things to criticize about the others and it was fun to see that unfold. 

Katherine and company getting the group of young employees to turn on each other was especially funny. I liked seeing the group of guys at the end being unexpectedly self aware 

[Maya]

The whiteboard lists remind me of Superstore 😄

[HyeChaps]

For once, I didn't hate all the main characters.

[AnimeMania]

S02.E07: Young Designers

Payne sponsors its annual young designers contest at a local elementary school, which sparks controversy when Katherine inadvertently offends multiple countries via an Instagram Live interview with a Somali-American student.

Premiere Date: March 7, 2023     NBC    8:30pm 
Joshua Malina as Ted
April Grace as Mrs. Simms
Amari McCoy as Hannah
Cameron Gayden as Tyler
Chelsea Alana Rivera as Tyler's Mom
William Koonce as Hector
Taneka Johnson as Hector's Mom
Neiko Neal as Katie's Dad
Ericka Kreutz as Joyce
Gabriel Rissa as Robert
Reagan Grant as Leylo
Biniyam Abreha as Yafet
Jaxon Williams as Simms Student 1

Edited March 7, 2023 by AnimeMania

[DanaK]

These guys run off the rails so easily

[ketchuplover]

here's a crazy idea...2 men having kids because they're HETEROSEXUAL

[AnimeMania]

S02.E08: Hack

The Payne servers get hacked, causing Katherine and Elliot to conflict on whether or not to pay the ransom. This becomes increasingly more personal for Katherine when the hackers reveal they have personal photos of her.

Premiere Date: March 14, 2023     NBC    8:30pm 
Next New Episode: March 28, 2023     

[tomsmom]

Your therapist advised full spread?? LOL

[appositival]

I liked the fact that Katherine knew that paying the crackers would put the payer in the sights of the industry association. She just wanted Elliot (or anyone) to take the bullet for her.

[possibilities]

4 hours ago, appositival said:

I liked the fact that Katherine knew that paying the crackers would put the payer in the sights of the industry association. She just wanted Elliot (or anyone) to take the bullet for her.

They want us to like her, but I hate her. She's competent at being evil, but is that funny? It's funny when they show the management team being hapless fools, maybe. The abortion issue was very effective at showing people bumbling around trying to do the right thing and getting tripped up on a variety of landmines. But when they show them actually abusing underlings, I don't find it at all amusing.

[appositival]

On 3/16/2023 at 12:03 PM, possibilities said:

She's competent at being evil, but is that funny?

I think the Canadian show Made in Canada handled the comedy of evils situation rather well. Everyone was evil.

American auto has several hapless adorable (mostly) VPs and a self-centered amoral CEO. The presentation is funnier than the concept.

[stewedsquash]

The show is hilarious, I don’t try to analyze it. 
This episode was weak and the weakest part was the weather car scenes. I am not a fan of time lapse stuck together conversations. 
Dori always looks fabulous and I love the running theme of her having different hair each episode. She looked especially beautiful this episode. I don’t think the show would be as good as it is without her as Dori. She has perfect timing on every one of her scenes. 
 

[AnimeMania]

S02.E09: Night Out

The gang ends up at Katherine's house for what seems like an innocent night of drinking and employee bonding, but things escalate when everyone learns that Katherine and Richard are in the middle of a divorce.

Premiere Date: March 21, 2023     NBC    8:30pm 

[BuckeyeLou]

I was laughing out loud during the episode!  The Humor in this show reminds me of "Superstore"(I think a lot of the people from that show are involved with this show).  I was dying when they were in the Hot Tub!  The men borrowing bathing suits from her Hubby and 'rich guy" gets the Speedo :) (I cant remember his name).  I still think cute Factory worker guy & blonde girl are cute together, especially by the pool tonite.  Ana Gasteyer was a Hoot in this episode.

[Zaffy]

"Night Out" was one of the best episodes of the series, among with the one they were shooting the company adv.
It was hilarious and showed how much the ensemble has grown well together.

[DanaK]

Futon Critic is showing April 18 as the season finale http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/2023/04/18/premieres/

[AnimeMania]

S02.E10: Passion Project

Coming off the news of her divorce, Katherine wants to institute big changes in the office, which prompts Cyrus to introduce her to his dream car. However, things go south when Katherine attempts to transform his design into a vision of her own.

Premiere Date: March 28, 2023     NBC    8:30pm 

[DanaK]

Cyrus really should have gotten suspended or fired for going off on Katherine like that

[AnimeMania]

S02.E11: Funeral

When Wesley's grandfather passes away, Katherine and the others learn that all the heirs plan to sell their company shares, which would tank the stock price; they attempt damage control at the funeral to try to stop it.

Premiere Date: April 4, 2023     NBC    8:30pm 
Ike Barinholtz as Landon Payne

[ItCouldBeWorse]

Superstore Easter egg in last week's episode: the actor who played Brett in Superstore (Jon Miyahara) walked by and Wesley (Jon Barinholtz, who played Marcus in Superstore), said "Hi, Brett."

According to IMDb, Brett is the only role the actor has ever played.

Edited April 5, 2023 by ItCouldBeWorse