American Auto

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American Auto
American Auto Title Card.png
Genre
Created byJustin Spitzer
Starring
Music byJeff Cardoni
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Josh Greene
  • Elena Crevello
  • Kyle Mack
  • Scott Printz
Cinematography
  • Benjamin Kasulke
  • Jay Hunter
Editors
  • Matthew Barbato
  • James Renfroe
  • Jeff Hall
  • Chris Lorusso
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time22 minutes
Production companies
DistributorNBCUniversal Television Distribution
Release
Original networkNBC
Picture formatHDTV 1080i
Original releaseDecember 13, 2021 (2021-12-13) –
present (present)
External links
Website

American Auto is an American television sitcom created by Justin Spitzer, that premiered on NBC on December 13, 2021, with two "sneak episodes".

Premise[]

The series follows the employees of Detroit-based Payne Motors, and the company's struggles after a new CEO who knows little about cars is hired from the pharmaceutical industry.

Cast and characters[]

  • Ana Gasteyer as Katherine Hastings, Payne Motors' new CEO
  • Harriet Dyer as Sadie, Payne Motors' CCO
  • Jon Barinholtz as Wesley, grandson of Payne Motors' retired CEO
  • Tye White as Jack, a former assembly-line employee brought in to help in the C-suite
  • Michael Benjamin Washington as Cyrus, Payne's Chief Product Designer
  • Humphrey Ker as Elliot, Payne's Chief Counsel
  • X Mayo as Dori, Hasting's assistant

Episodes[]

No.Title [2][3]Directed byWritten byOriginal air date [2][3]U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot"Jeffrey BlitzJustin SpitzerDecember 13, 2021 (2021-12-13)2.95[4]
Pharmaceutical CEO Katherine Hastings takes over as CEO of Payne Motors after the last Payne family member to run the company retires. While testing the new self-driving Payne Ponderosa, African-American plant worker Jack is struck when the car fails to brake, and engineer Cyrus deduces the vehicle cannot properly detect dark skin. Worried that the vehicle will be perceived as "racist", Hastings assembles a team to redesign the auto, with disastrous results.
2"White Van"Jeffrey BlitzJustin SpitzerDecember 13, 2021 (2021-12-13)1.87[4]
As Jack settles into his new white-collar position, Wesley views him as an errand boy and tries to assign him menial tasks. Meanwhile, a serial killer is discovered to have driven away his latest victim in a Payne Magellan, leading to unwanted press coverage akin to the OJ Simpson car chase. However, after a helicopter camera crew follows the vehicle as it drives down the highway, marketing director Sadie learns that any publicity is good publicity, as orders for Magellans start pouring in.
3"Earnings Call"Matt SohnShirin NajafiJanuary 4, 2022 (2022-01-04)2.43[5]
With little good news to share on the company's quarterly earnings call, Katherine is pressed by a caller to announce any new ideas she's introduced as the incoming CEO. Katherine learns from Cyrus that the company is close to introducing an entry-level vehicle, the Payne Pika, which they painstakingly were able to get down to a base price of $12,600. Thinking a round number is better, Katherine -- without anyone's input -- announces on the call that the Pika's base price will be $10,000. Meanwhile, Jack helps Elliot with the plant's union negotiations, where an old pal representing for the union takes advantage of Jack sharing a management secret.
4"The $10k Car"Kim NguyenElena CrevelloJanuary 11, 2022 (2022-01-11)2.50[6]
The team tries to cut every corner possible to get the Payne Pika down to Katherine's desired price of $10,000, but when she takes a ride in the final product, Katherine must make a difficult decision. Meanwhile, Elliot wants to unload his troublesome dog, but the only one in the office interested is Dori, who insists Elliot pay her to take the pooch. Dori then angers Elliot by immediately putting the dog up for sale online.
5"Millbank, IA"Lauren LudwigKyle MackJanuary 18, 2022 (2022-01-18)2.37[7]
The Payne executives travel to Iowa for the ribbon-cutting at Payne's new factory, which promises to revive a struggling town. But hours before the ceremony, the team learns of a highly competitive bid to host the factory -- from a Balkan nation with a reputation for human rights abuses. The executives then attempt to derail the Millbank factory plans by attempting to stoke local xenophobia and environmental concerns to allow the Balkan bid to have a chance at success. As Katherine weighs her options, Jack wrestles with the morality of the decision, Cyrus speculates in real estate, and Wesley hunts for a date. Ultimately, a coup in the Balkan nation forces the Payne executives to reroute their private plane back to Millbank and open the factory as originally planned.
6"Commercial"Jeffrey BlitzAlbertina RizzoJanuary 25, 2022 (2022-01-25)2.30[8]
Payne faces criticism for its lack of LGBT representation in its ads. Katherine orders an ad for the Payne Magellan scheduled to air in a week to be reshot with same-sex couples as a result of the backlash. Frank, a politically conservative communications employee, pushes back. Wesley shadows the director of the ad, while Sadie and Katherine directly supervise its production and attempt to ensure LGBTQ and minority representation in the ads. The team ends up constantly swapping actors in and out. Ultimately, the child actors are sent home before shooting ends due to their contracts, so the final commercial has a very dark background and has few children, giving it a very creepy tone. Katherine decides to let the ad air anyway, noting that nobody cares about ads anymore.
7"Recall"Randall WinstonEric LedginFebruary 1, 2022 (2022-02-01)2.08[9]
8"Employee Morale"Heather JackBill Chais & Shirin NajafiFebruary 22, 2022 (2022-02-22)2.03[10]
9"Charity Dinner"Phil TraillMaxwell Theodore VivianMarch 1, 2022 (2022-03-01)2.06[11]
10"Profile"Jeffrey BlitzJustin Spitzer & Eric LedginMarch 8, 2022 (2022-03-08)1.98[12]

Production[]

Development[]

American Auto has been in development since August 2013. TV writer Justin Spitzer, fresh off the success of The Office, wanted to produce a workplace comedy of his own, but would instead be set in the upper-management world. Spitzer sold his pitch to NBC, who put the idea as a put-pilot. The script did not go forward as a pilot, and Spitzer instead went to work on Superstore. After stepping down as showrunner of Superstore in April 2019 and signing an overall deal with Universal Television, Spitzer went back and redeveloped the American Auto script.[13]

On January 23, 2020, it was given a pilot order by NBC. The pilot was directed by Jeffrey Blitz and written by Spitzer who was expected to executive produce alongside Aaron Kaplan and Dana Honor. Production companies involved with the series include Spitzer Holding Company, Kapital Entertainment and Universal Television.[14] On January 12, 2021, it was announced that NBC had ordered the series.[15][16][17][18]

Casting[]

In February 2020, Deadline reported Harriet Dyer had joined the cast as Sadie[19] and later that Ana Gasteyer had also joined the cast as Katherine Hastings.[20] In March, X Mayo joined the cast as Dori.[21] In July, Tye White joined the cast as Jack, Michael B. Washington joined the cast as Cyrus, Humphrey Ker joined the cast as Elliot, and Jon Barinholtz joined the cast as Wesley.[22]

Broadcast[]

The series premiered on December 13, 2021, at 10 p.m., with two "sneak [peek] episodes"[17] and returned on January 4, 2022, in its regular time slot at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays.[18]

Reception[]

Critical response[]

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 6.1/10, based on 11 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "While American Auto's hijinks don't bode well for the future of Payne Motors, they promise a hilarious sitcom with a solid foundation."[23] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 68 out of 100 based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[24]

Ratings[]

Viewership and ratings per episode of American Auto
No. Title Air date Rating
(18–49)		 Viewers
(millions)		 DVR
(18–49)		 DVR viewers
(millions)		 Total
(18–49)		 Total viewers
(millions)
1 "Pilot" December 13, 2021 0.4 2.95[4] TBD TBD TBD TBD
2 "White Van" December 13, 2021 0.3 1.87[4] TBD TBD TBD TBD
3 "Earnings Call" January 4, 2022 0.4 2.43[5] TBD TBD TBD TBD
4 "The $10k Car" January 11, 2022 0.5 2.50[6] TBD TBD TBD TBD
5 "Millbank, IA" January 18, 2022 0.4 2.37[7] TBD TBD TBD TBD
6 "Commercial" January 25, 2022 0.4 2.30[8] TBD TBD TBD TBD
7 "Recall" February 1, 2022 0.4 2.08[9] TBD TBD TBD TBD
8 "Employee Morale" February 22, 2022 0.4 2.03[10] TBD TBD TBD TBD
9 "Charity Dinner" March 1, 2022 0.3 2.06[11] TBD TBD TBD TBD
10 "Profile" March 8, 2022 0.3 1.98[12] TBD TBD TBD TBD

References[]

  1. ^ Han, Angie (December 13, 2021). "NBC's 'American Auto' and 'Grand Crew': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Shows A-Z - americam auto on nbc". The Futon Critic. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "American Auto Season 1 Episode Guide". Zap2it. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d Metcalf, Mitch (December 14, 2021). "Showbuzz Daily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.13.2021 Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (January 6, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Tuesday 1.4.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (January 12, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Tuesday 1.11.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (January 20, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Tuesday 1.18.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (January 26, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Tuesday 1.25.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (February 2, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Tuesday 2.1.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (February 24, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Tuesday 2.22.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (March 2, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Tuesday 3.1.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (March 9, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Tuesday 3.8.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  13. ^ Nellie Andreeva (December 10, 2021). "Justin Spitzer On How 'The Office' & 'Superstore' Led To 'American Auto' – TCA". Deadline. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  14. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 23, 2020). "Jim Jefferies-Suzanne Martin Comedy, Justin Spitzer's 'American Auto' Get NBC Pilot Orders". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  15. ^ "NBC Orders New Comedies 'Grand Crew,' 'American Auto' and Drama 'La Brea'" (Press release). NBC. January 12, 2021. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021 – via The Futon Critic.
  16. ^ "NBC Bolsters Year-Round Programming Slate with Bold, Compelling Dramas in the Fall, Fresh and Funny Midseason Comedy Blocks and Dominant Unscripted Programming Across the Calendar" (Press release). NBC. May 14, 2021. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021 – via The Futon Critic.
  17. ^ a b "NBC Jumpstarts Its Comedy Slate with Originals in December" (Press release). NBC. November 3, 2021. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021 – via The Futon Critic.
  18. ^ a b "NBC Rings in 2022 with Dynamic Talent, A Double Dose of New Comedy, Bold Dramas and Supercharged Unscripted Formats" (Press release). NBC. November 12, 2021. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021 – via The Futon Critic.
  19. ^ Petski, Denise (February 20, 2020). "Harriet Dyer To Star In Justin Spitzer's NBC Comedy Pilot 'American Auto'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  20. ^ Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (February 24, 2020). "Ana Gasteyer To Star In Justin Spitzer's NBC Comedy Pilot 'American Auto'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  21. ^ Petski, Denise (March 10, 2020). "X Mayo To Star In Justin Spitzer's NBC Comedy Pilot 'American Auto'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  22. ^ Petski, Denise (July 9, 2020). "'American Auto': Tye White, Michael Benjamin Washington, Jon Barinholtz & Humphrey Ker Join Justin Spitzer's NBC Comedy Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  23. ^ "American Auto: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  24. ^ "American Auto: Season 1". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved February 1, 2022.

External links[]

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