Did Amy get written off Superstore?

Superstore is an American sitcom television series created by Justin Spitzer. Starring America Ferrera and Ben Feldman, Superstore centers around a group of employees working at “Cloud 9”, a fictional big-box store in St. Louis, Missouri. Amy Sosa, played by America Ferrera, was one of the main characters on the show from its premiere in 2015 until her departure in 2020. So did Amy get written off Superstore? Let’s take a closer look.

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Who is Amy on Superstore?

Amy Sosa is one of the main characters on Superstore throughout its run from seasons 1 to 5. She works as an associate and floor supervisor at the Cloud 9 store. Some key facts about Amy’s character:

She is hard-working, ambitious, and aims to move up the corporate ladder at Cloud 9.

Amy immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico as a child and comes from a poor background.
She has a husband named Adam and daughter Emma.
Amy and Cloud 9 assistant manager Jonah have an on-again, off-again romantic relationship.

She is often frustrated by incompetent employees and management at the store.

As a main protagonist, Amy’s career ambitions and personal relationships were central storylines during Superstore’s first 5 seasons on air.

Did Amy leave Superstore?

Yes, the character of Amy Sosa left Superstore in Season 5, which aired in 2020. This occurred for a couple of key reasons:

Actress America Ferrera chose to leave the show. After starring on Superstore for 5 years, Ferrera wanted to pursue other projects and spending more time with her family.
Amy’s character arc was written off the show accordingly. Her storyline involved being promoted to a corporate position at Cloud 9’s headquarters in California.

In the episode “California Part 1” (S5E21), Amy accepts a promotion to be Cloud 9’s Director of Customer Experience. This means she has to move from St. Louis to California, writing her character out of the day-to-day store setting of Superstore.

How did Superstore write out Amy’s character?

Amy’s departure from the show was built up over the last two episodes of Season 5:

“California Part 1” – Amy is offered the corporate promotion, accepts it, and announces she is leaving the store.
“California Part 2” – In the Season 5 finale, Amy trains her replacement Dina and says goodbye to the staff.

Key events that wrote out Amy’s character:

Amy tells Dina she has recommended her to replace Amy as store manager.
Jonah tries to persuade Amy to stay but she insists this promotion is best for her career.

The staff throw Amy a goodbye party on her last day.
In an emotional moment, Amy says farewell to her work family.
Dina takes over as the new store manager.

Amy moves her family to California to start her corporate job.

So Amy’s send-off focused on her career advancement, which had been an ongoing storyline. Her relationships with Jonah and the staff were also wrapped up in an emotional goodbye.

Has Amy returned to Superstore since leaving?

No, Amy has not returned as a cast member on Superstore since her departure in Season 5. This marked a clean exit for the character when actress America Ferrera left the series.

However, the character’s presence is still felt in small ways:

Amy is mentioned in conversations – E.g. Dina asks “What would Amy do?” when facing a tough decision as manager.
Jonah comments about staying in touch with Amy after she moved.

In the series finale, Amy sends a video message congratulating the staff when Cloud 9 buys the store.

But Ferrera did not actually return to reprise the role of Amy after moving on from the show. So while subtle references are made, Amy did not make any physical appearances after Season 5.

What did America Ferrera say about leaving Superstore?

When announcing her departure, America Ferrera explained it as a difficult but necessary career and personal decision. Some key points she made:

She was proud of the show and loved playing Amy but was ready for a new acting challenge.
She had been spending less time with her family while working long hours on the series.
Ferrera had recently given birth to her second child and wanted to focus on motherhood.

It was an amicable exit and she praised the Superstore team.

Ferrera called playing Amy a “true gift” but said it was the right time to “say goodbye” to the character. She thanked fans for their support over the years. Her exit seemed to be on good terms with the show’s producers.

How did fans react to Amy leaving Superstore?

Amy’s departure in Season 5 was emotionally felt by fans who had grown attached to her character over the show’s first 5 seasons. Overall, Ferrera’s exit elicited a mix of reactions from Superstore fans:

Sadness to see Amy/Ferrera leave, as she was a beloved character and actress.
Disappointment that Amy and Jonah’s romance was left unresolved.
Understanding about Ferrera’s choice to move on after so many years on the show.

Curiosity about how the show would continue without such a core character.

Many fans expressed sadness about Amy’s goodbye episode but gratitude to Ferrera for bringing the character to life. They generally seemed supportive of her decision to leave, even if they were heartbroken to see Amy go.

Did the show continue after Amy’s exit?

Yes, Superstore continued for two more seasons after Amy left the show in Season 5:

Season 6 – Aired in 2020-2021 with episodes focused on the staff dealing with Amy’s absence and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Season 6 – The final season that aired in 2021. It focuses on the store employees’ lives and relationships while wrapping up lingering storylines.

The show remained centered around the diverse Cloud 9 employees, their dynamics, and workplace stories. But Seasons 6 explored new character arcs and relationships.

While not as highly rated, fans stuck around to see the rest of the journey for characters like Jonah, Dina, and Glenn. The series concluded with the Cloud 9 employees buying the store and becoming the owners.

Did Amy get a proper goodbye?

Overall, yes – Amy’s departure in the Season 5 finale gave proper closure to her character arc:

Her career ambitions were realized with the promotion to California.

Amy passed the store manager torch to Dina gracefully.
She shared emotional goodbyes with Jonah and her Cloud 9 family.
The episode concentrated on Amy’s last day, giving Ferrera the spotlight.

The writers clearly worked to send off Amy in a way that honored both the character’s growth and the actress’ contributions. While viewers were sad to see her go, the exit gave Amy appropriate attention rather than abruptly writing her out off-screen.

Could Amy ever return to Superstore in the future?

It seems unlikely that America Ferrera would reprise the role of Amy Sosa for a potential Superstore revival or spin-off:

Ferrera purposefully left to pursue other projects and she seems finished with the character.

The Season 5 goodbye was written to provide closure for Amy.
Bringing Amy back could undermine that satisfying conclusion.

However, Ferrera did say she was open to making guest appearances if there was a Superstore reunion someday. So there’s a slim chance Amy could return briefly, if even just for a cameo. But the character’s major storyline was wrapped up with her departure to California.

Conclusion

Amy was written off Superstore in Season 5 when actress America Ferrera chose to leave the show after starring since the beginning. Amy’s exit was built up over the last two episodes as she accepted a corporate promotion and said farewell to the staff. Ferrera called it a difficult but positive career move. The show continued for two more seasons without Amy’s character. While her presence was missed, fans understood Ferrera’s decision. The Season 5 goodbye provided appropriate closure for Amy’s character arc on the show. While unlikely, there’s a small possibility Ferrera could make a cameo return in a reunion. But Amy’s main storyline had a proper conclusion with her emotional departure.