**“Outsourced” **is a single-camera comedy set in all-American company, Mid America Novelties, which sells anything from wallets made of bacon to whoopee cushions. Its call center has been outsourced to India, and 25-year-old Todd Dempsey has been transferred there to manage it. He quickly realizes his staff needs a crash course in all things American if they are going to help him increase sales, and he needs to learn more than a few things about India.
Who’s in it: newcomer Ben Rappaport (off-Broadway’s “The Gingerbread House”) as Todd;** Rizwan Manji**(“Privileged”) as Ranjiv; Sacha Dhawan (BBC’s “Five Days II”) as Manmeet; Rebecca Hazlewood (BBC’s “Doctors”) as Asha; **Parvesh Cheena **(“Help Me Help You”) as Gupta; **Anisha Nagarajan (**Broadway’s “Bombay Dreams”) as Midori; Diedrich Bader (“The Drew Carey Show”) as Charlie; and **Jessica Gower **(Network Ten’s “The Secret Life of Us”) as Tonya.
**Who made it: **Robert Borden (“The Drew Carey Show” and “George Lopez”) created it and is producing it.
Thumbs up: It’s a workplace comedy with a relatable, topical bent. The cast is fresh and impressive. Rappaport is a charming lead.
Thumbs down: It hasn’t quite found its comedic rhythm, but when it’s funny, it’s funny.
Verdict: If we can’t beat the outsourcing, why not join it? Potential here.
The half-hour comedy premieres Thursday in U.S. network’s NBC’s plum post-“The Office” time slot. Slumdog assured the network that mainstream audiences could be interested in a story set in India.
Would Americans want to watch a show about something they’re angry about (Indians taking American jobs)?’ Well, first of all, (television) networks don’t program shows on a whim, especially one set in India and populated almost entirely by Indian actors.
A third of the writing staff is of Indian descent. But any story about a culture clash is going to deal with stereotypes on some level. The real question is: Are we trying to perpetuate stereotypes? Absolutely not, we’re trying to explore them. We’re trying to humanize these characters. This is all about putting a human face on the voice at the other end of the
I watched this show yesterday for the first time.. and man that was really hilarious.. I luved it! Especially few very funny scenes, like when they were dancing and he asks, if its a gay club.. or the dinner scene.. i was just lmao..
But this morning I was discussing it with my indian friend and she was like, no no it doesnt happen that way in india, they hv shown too much!! lol