CBS’s Superior Donuts tried to get into the Christmas spirit with their Monday, December 11, episode “Homeless for the Holidays,” but their outright disdain for capitalism and businesses quickly put a damper on things. Of course, the show known for its extremist liberal views can’t go one episode without being a Scrooge to its conservative viewers (if there are any left).
In Monday’s episode, main character Franco (Jermaine Fowler) wants to help a homeless man who has become displaced from his usual spot on the street. Donut shop patron Fawz (Maz Jobrani) proudly says his business council is to thank for the homeless being kicked out - of course, they show the successful businessman as a Scrooge!
Franco: Hey, what's Pink Panther doing?
Sofia: Who's that?
Randy: He's the homeless guy that camps out over at the "L." He wears this old, pink hat that he got at the Women's March, so we call him Pink Panther.
Franco: This is weird. He had a nice setup over this warm vent at McDonald's. I get him French fries every time I go. Then we talk about how much the Bulls suck. I wonder why he moved.
Fawz: The Uptown Business Council. We got the police to move all of the homeless people off the streets for the holidays. You're welcome.
Donut shop owner Arthur (Judd Hirsch) doesn’t want “Pink Panther” (notice how they avoid what the hats are really called) around either, stating, “I got to run a business here.” Franco argues that “it's just one dude.” Arthur points out, “Until he tells his buddies. Then the place is swarming with people looking for free food.”
Though they depict Arthur and the Uptown Business Council as heartless, in attempting to help him Franco learns that Pink Panther is a rude, violent man and that Officer Randy (Katey Sagal) was right when she pointed out from the start that “the homeless thing is very complicated.”
In the end, Fawz announces that he was able to get Pink Panther a job with the Uptown Business Council. But, lest we think that business owners are actually good people, we find out he's hired because he's a jerk. “He goes around and makes sure that all the businesses are following the rules. The perfect job for a dick,” Fawz exclaims. (They can say “dick,” but won’t call the pink hats what they really are? Interesting.)
I say, “Bah, humbug,” to this and every other liberal teaching moment that this show tries to beat us over the head with in every, single episode.
