Last week, as I was perusing the weekly ratings reports of my favorite shows, I came across some very surprising news. Amongst the new fall shows, NBC’s comedy Outsourced was incredibly successful. I was very skeptical about the show since it looked to be not only very offensive, but really not all that funny. I lamented on my twitter about it being so successful only to receive a number of people telling me that I should give it a view. Apparently the show had decent writing despite being a bit hokey.
My good friend Hulu had all the episodes, since only 3 had aired, so I sat down one lazy afternoon and watched them all. My initial reaction was that the show was playfully irreverent. It sort of latched on to all kinds of stereotypes (not just Indian) and refused to let go. Recognizing the fact that Outsourced is a comedy and thus inherently drawn to irreverence and stereotypes, the show is actually quite funny. The premise is unique and the characters are very strong – something I was definitely not expecting after the previews.
The show has a solid foundation with its very cartoon-like characters, which is a must for any successful comedy. What makes it better, is that the writers clearly know how to utilize their characters’ quirks to maximize punchlines. A good example of this is the character Gupta, a hopelessly ignorant soul, who is the butt of constant ridicule. Anisha Nagarajan as Madhuri is another highlight. Her character is both hilarious and tragic.
Outsourced easily could have been a hot mess, but the writers clearly know what they they are doing. The characters are also helped by the strong casting. The elements of Indian culture that are brought into the show are not very offensive (at least to me, but I am not Indian), and the fact that the company sells ridiculous novelty items that only Americans would be stupid enough to buy makes it all the better. The show has been picked up for a second season already and has been steadily climbing in the ratings. Hopefully the initial momentum will continue. Mostly, I’m just pleased to find another enjoyable comedy to watch.