BY PROMA KHOSLA
For the Daily
Published September 26, 2010
In our current, the-more-offensive-the-better era of comedy, “Outsourced” seems like a perfect addition to NBC’s Thursday night comedy block. Unfortunately, the show oozes mediocrity in a lineup of otherwise outstanding programs.
"Outsourced"
Thursdays at 9:30 p.m.NBC
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At a glance, the show about an Indian call center under its American manager, Todd (newcomer Ben Rappaport), appears to blatantly stereotype Indians. However, upon closer viewing, it stereotypes just about everyone. The audience is presented with an overwhelming array of flat characters, mostly portrayed by relative newcomers: Gupta (Parvesh Cheena) the eccentric, Madhuri (Anisha Nagarajan) the shy one, Manmeet (Sacha Dhawan) who has apparently never spoken to a woman before, Tonya (Pippa Black) the saucy Aussie and Charlie (Diedrich Bader, “Bolt”), a Southern man who actually greets Todd with the phrase “Saddle up.” The Indians don’t know a thing about American culture but begin to learn that “freedom” means being able to purchase fake vomit and a plaque with moving breasts on it. While Todd is sent to Mumbai, all cultural statements are applied to “India” as a whole, implying that it doesn’t really matter what city they chose: It’s all the same.
While the jokes about food and dating are generally harmless, “Outsourced” manages to cross the line between funny and tasteless at least twice in its pilot. The first instance is when Todd makes fun of the “headgear” of his new employees: a turban and a hijab, hallmarks of the Sikh and Muslim faiths, respectively. Shortly after this, the Indian manager Rajiv suggests that Todd fire Madhuri to make clear his authority as the new boss. “She doesn’t belong here anyway,” Rajiv says. “She is of a lower caste.”
For those unfamiliar with the caste system, it divides the Hindu people into social classes that in the past were based on vocation. Though the system is still common in many parts of India, it is the subject of heated debate. To fire someone because she is of a lower caste is like firing her because she’s African American. Rajiv’s completely inappropriate comment might have even been more digestible in a rural setting, but call centers are a decidedly urban workplace. In the middle of shallow, easy-to-laugh-at humor, a joke based on India’s still-healing cultural wounds has no place.
More likely to be seen in an urban workplace would be Asha (Rebecca Hazlewood), Todd’s soon-to-be love interest and seemingly the most global person in the office. She has fair skin, Western clothes and an ambiguous accent reminiscent of Dr. Mohinder Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) on “Heroes.” She serves as the voice of indignant viewers and will hopefully guide Todd through his transition from West to East. At the same time, she lacks the authenticity and quirkiness of the other office workers. Normalcy doesn’t make for good entertainment; Gupta singing and dancing to the Pussycat Dolls does.
“Outsourced” is simple and funny, but needs to try harder to hold its footing on NBC’s schedule. It strives for the bold brilliance of Russell Peters and the British “Goodness Gracious Me,” but it’s a little behind the trendy jokes about Bollywood and Hollywood. In a best-case scenario, the cross-cultural stereotypes and borderline racism could become a microcosm that represents the importance of international relations in our world. As Todd says to his team, “We’re like the ‘Bad News Bears’ ... everyone thought they were losers until they proved people wrong.” If that's its goal, “Outsourced” still has a lot left to prove.
