I'll miss "Outsourced"

Very few people were surprised when NBC declined to make a second season of "Outsourced." For the uninitiated, it was a sitcom that centered around a naive and overly enthusiastic mid-westerner (Todd) who is sent to India to manage a call center. The series included two stock characters which should be recognizable to any western expat: Charlie, a fellow American call center manager who has done his best to pretend he is still in the US (and is implied to be an alcoholic), and Tonya, a sexually aggressive western woman who isn't afraid to pounce on a man from a similar cultural background as hers. The five remaining characters in the ensemble are all Indian and embody sitcom and cultural stereotypes ranging from an unsuccessful horndog to a hard-ass manager.

When I first saw the commercials for the show I couldn't understand what NBC was thinking. It was entirely possible that it would be entertaining but I couldn't see what the target market was. There was a lot of comedy for people with an expat background and there were lots of situations that could appeal to Indian-Americans but there wouldn't be an emotional connection for the average person (as opposed to shows about working in an office (The Office) or having friends (Friends.) (See what I did there? ;) )

I can't criticize anyone for thinking it wasn't funny or didn't engage them- that's a matter of personal taste. What I was disappointed in was the amount of people who found it offensive because of perceived racism. To date I have yet to find (in real life or on the internet) someone of Indian origin that was offended by it; in fact, I'm pretty sure the parties that took umbrage at the show are largely white, have not lived outside of their own culture for long periods of time, and view "being offended" as their god-given duty to the rest of mankind. If you grew up in Boulder, CO as I did, you probably know the sorts I'm talking about.

The two American characters are largely portrayed as clueless about or uninterested in Indian culture. They make all sorts of cultural faux pas and their ignorance is normally played for laughs. In one exchange, which received an incredible amount of complaints, the main character is surprised to learn that Indians celebrate Valentine's day. This reminded me of an actual exchange from my first few months in East Asia when I learned about Taiwanese Valentine's day.

Nick: Wow, you all have Valentine's day in August?
Taiwanese girl: Yes, but we also have your Valentine's Day, in February.
Taiwanese boy: Yes, it is terrible to be a boyfriend in this country.

The Indian characters, on the other hand, tend to be most familiar with the negative stereotypes of Americans. The perceived promiscuity of Americans is brought up frequently by the Indian characters, as is (more positively) the less hierarchical structure of American society.

We Americans tend to self-flagellate for being nationalistic but our sense of humor is fairly self-deprecating. The Simpsons has become one of the most successful shows of all time, primarily because it is constantly making fun of American culture. That Indians, who are an increasingly visible part of American society, have the same capacity for self-mockery should leave us saying "We're not so different, after all," rather than feeling guilty about taking advantage of another culture. This is especially pronounced given that a majority of "Outsourced" writers were of Indian heritage and many of the East meets West situations came from their personal experiences.

The show had a small natural market (expats and Indian Americans) and the capacity to offend the vocal minority of Americans who calculate their IQ's by tabulating how many times they are offended per week. With those liabilities I was surprised that a full season of the show was made at all. Even if it had been spectacularly funny rather than just "fun," it was a big risk for NBC. Given that, I think the proper response to the show is gratitude for having aired at all rather than disappointment over not being renewed.


Please, please, NBC, find a way to bring Parvesh Cheena into another show!