Why Garrett From Superstore Looks So Familiar
Welcome to Cloud 9 Superstore, a shopper's paradise where you can buy virtually anything. You just don't want to work there. That's the premise of the NBC series Superstore, starring America Ferrera (who's planning to leave the show at the beginning of season 6).
Superstore, set in St. Louis, Missouri, follows the various employees stuck in "retail hell" as they maneuver through corporate red tape and personal relationships. The central storyline revolves around Ferrera's character, the smart, cynical store manager Amy. She stars opposite Ben Feldman as the overly optimistic Jonah. The two nurture a will-they-or-won't-they attraction a la Pam and Jim on The Office before actually becoming a couple.
Also like The Office, Superstore's added charm lies in its supporting cast, which includes Colton Dunn as the likably sarcastic floor worker and store announcements specialist Garrett. Garrett has his own torrid romance on the show; he is involved in an on-again, off-again affair with the eccentric, aggressively strict, and sometimes rude store security specialist Dina.
Outside of his co-starring role on Superstore, Dunn has a long list of film and TV credits on his resume. Maybe you recognize him from another high-profile ensemble series, or for being a member of a well-known improv sketch comedy troupe? Here's why Garrett from Superstore looks so familiar.
Colton Dunn had a memorable role on Parks and Recreation
Before appearing on Superstore, Dunn had a recurring role on beloved NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, starring Amy Poehler and Chris Pratt. He was one half of the bumbling pothead duo that ran animal control, alongside the late Harris Wittels.
Parks and Recreation, which was co-created by The Office's Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, is a political satire that follows Leslie Knope (Poehler), a perky, over-achieving public servant in the Parks Department of the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. Dunn appeared on six episodes as Brett Hull. The actor describes his character as both "dumb" and "a super-stoned guy who wants to have fun but doesn't quite get it." Brett is the type of guy who lists his love of burgers on his resume and gets confused about how people know his name even though he's wearing a name tag.
Of his time on Parks and Recreation, Dunn told Vulture: "It was awesome. I loved it. Every time I got the call that they were going back to the animal control guys, I was just so excited. It was just a blast. That was really fun too about that set on Parks and Rec — they would just come to play. They'd let you come in and make the character your own."
Colton Dunn is a sketch comedy journeyman
From 2005-2009, Dunn was a writer on MadTV, a sketch comedy show based on the antics of Mad magazine that ran for 15 seasons. He wrote 55 episodes across five seasons, sometimes even appearing in skits.
It turned out to be a fateful gig for Dunn; he connected with fellow MadTV cast-mates Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, who went on to star on Comedy Central's critically acclaimed Key & Peele for five seasons — and took Dunn with them. Dunn served as a writer, producer, and occasional performer on the show, even receiving two Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series.
Of Key & Peele ending after five seasons, Dunn told Vulture: "All of us had kind of slugged it out in sketch comedy for years and years before we did that show, so it was really great to finally get a chance to be on a show that we were all really proud of, but we also all felt that we did it and we made the show that we wanted to do, and we got out while we felt like we were on top of it."
Before joining Superstore, he also regularly appeared on Nick Swardson's Pretend Time on Comedy Central and E!'s reality dating spoof Burning Love, and made one-off appearances on the Kroll Show and Happy Endings.
Colton Dunn has starred in several movies, including Blockers
While TV has mainly been Dunn's focus over the course of his career, he has also appeared in a few films. The highest profile movie he lent his talents to was 2018's Seth Rogen-produced Blockers, which follows a group of teens trying to have a good time while their parents attempt to stop them. Dunn plays an over-eager, over-sharing limo driver who chauffeurs the kids around.
Dunn also starred in 2015's Lazer Team, about four small-town losers who must defend the planet after discovering a superhero-style battle suit at a UFO crash site. The film, which was bankrolled by an Indiegogo crowd-funding campaign, spawned a sequel, Lazer Team 2, in 2017.
In 2010, Dunn had a bit part in the low-budget slasher film Hatchet II, which starred Kane Hodder, who is best known for his portrayal of Jason Voorhees in the Friday the 13th franchise, and Candyman actor Tony Todd. "That was an absolute blast," Dunn told Vulture. "One of my favorite things was going out with Tony and seeing people freak out when you walk into a bar or a club with Candyman."
Dunn then appeared in the 2016 indie film Other People, produced by Parks and Recreation's Adam Scott and starring Jesse Plemons, Molly Shannon, Bradley Whitford, and Maude Apatow. Two years later, in 2018, he was seen in the Netflix coming-of-age dramedy Dude, which starred Lucy Hale and Awkwafina.
Colton Dunn is a member of the Upright Citizens Brigade
If you're into comedy, you've probably heard of the Upright Citizens Brigade, the improvisational sketch comedy group that originated in Chicago in the early 1990s before relocating to New York City. One of the founding members was Parks and Recreation's Amy Poehler, and over the years the UCB has included such notable alumni as Donald Glover (Community, Atlanta), Adam Pally (Happy Endings, The Mindy Project), and Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live), among others.
Dunn has been performing and teaching at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in NYC since 1999, having moved from his hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota, just to be part of the then-fledgling comedy collective.
"I was just about to start college in Minnesota and about two weeks before school started, I took a trip to New York with some friends," Dunn told Vulture. "I had been doing a little bit of comedy in high school and wanted to get more into it. So I wanted to see the Upright Citizens Brigade, and it was so funny. I went back to Minnesota, moved into my dorm, and the whole time I was just thinking about how funny the show was and how I just wanted to be doing that."
He continued, "About two months after school started I dropped out and moved to New York and started trying to do improv comedy, standup, and sketch. When I started at UCB, I was the only black guy at the theater. Now it's diverse."
As it stands, Colton Dunn has his hands in a bit of everything in the comedy world, so don't be surprised next time you see his familiar mug crop up in a side-splitting laugher.