Preview: Outsourced! Offensive or Funny?
So it seems Yemrika (the evil twin of America) has decided that desis need to start laughing with/at themselves and to aid poor brown people develop a sense of humour there is a new show on it’s way called Outsourced. Is this new NBC-show, programmed for their Fall line-up, supposed to be funny or just plain offensive, check out the clip after the jump!
Since Steve Carell announced he’s leaving The Office, NBC has been desperately racking their brains to find a decent replacement. Altough Parks and Recreation is hilarious (with the awesome Aziz Ansari, playing a non-stereotypical Indian character), it hasn’t reached the same level of popularity that The Office had.
And since Joel Stein together with Time magazine feel it’s ok to make fun of Indians. Some TV executive came up with the genius idea to merge the two worlds together and set a sit-com in an Indian call centre with a fish-out of water American manager leading his newly assigned “B team” whilst doing his best not loose his job to an Indian nemesis, trying to well.. take his job ( very subtle, I know..). The show is based on a 2006 movie that I did not manage to catch.
I am sure Outsourced will lead to greater understanding between East and West while cultural confusion and much hilarity will ensue but looking at the clip (which I have to be honest does contain a few chuckles in it) I don’t think I will be able to get over the fact that most of the jokes seem to be in the ” See how funny they speakeh the English’-vein (and don’t we get enough of that from Russel Peters?)
Whilst first hearing about this show, which is being murdered by most critics before it’s Pilot‘s even properly aired, I thought most people found the show to be offensive towards their portrayal of Indians, apparently that is not the case at all. Most backlash is coming from people that have lost THEIR jobs to outsourcing and feel that the economic situation of America is no laughing matter. Clearly none of the actors are actual Indians and they are putting fake desi accents on ( as most Indian actors seems to do in the US) , so at least you can’t blame the show for taking away jobs from American actors.
I might be hyper sensitive, but I hate the Manmeet and the “you guys wear funny hats”-joke (multiple Gods, MULTIPLE LAUGHS- Kal Penn’s reaction to Joel Stein’s piece in the Times) in this clip. On the flipside, I do like  Anisha Nagarajan playing the shy and demure Madhuri, if I do check this show out, she might end up becoming my favorite!
Outsourced will be on NBC, this Fall. ( that’s autumn for people with funny accents)
What do you think of this clip of Outsourced? Let us know in the comment section below!
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- Indian Jokes in ‘Outsourced’ Reference Cultural Differences, Say Producers – TCA Report (tvsquad.com)
- NBC hopes outsourcing is “in” with TV audiences (reuters.com)
- Kal Penn: Time’s Joel Stein is Xenophobic! (justjared.buzznet.com)
- What’s funny is that 2 new sitcoms got on air (sfgate.com)
- Protest NBC’s “Outsourced” (socialactions.net)
- Tell Time Magazine to Apologize for its Racist, Unfunny Snark (race.change.org)
- Aziz Ansari Is The Next Big Thing (forbes.com)
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