Just wanted to get others opinions of Outsourced. I watched it tonight and thought it was pretty funny.
Anyone catch Outsourced tonight?
- Thread starter BladeDE40
- Start date
In terms of the Thursday night NBC lineup, I put it a tiny grade funnier than "Community," and far below the quality of "The Office" and "Thirty Rock" at their best.
The Indian cast is the best part of the thing, but I hope they give them more things to do than simply be cariactures, as most of them were. There needs to be a lot more America-bashing (from the Indians), a much deeper examination of Indian culture (it's unclear whether any of it was actually shot in Indian, and, if not, they need to go there and get out of the office space) and development of the characters beyond quirky stereotypes.
But I'm sure what they'll do is focus on developing the relationship between the star and Australian girl.
Time will see. I'm not overly hopeful, however. The shows writers' just don't seem to have the skill to pull it off.
Jeff in Boston
The Indian cast is the best part of the thing, but I hope they give them more things to do than simply be cariactures, as most of them were. There needs to be a lot more America-bashing (from the Indians), a much deeper examination of Indian culture (it's unclear whether any of it was actually shot in Indian, and, if not, they need to go there and get out of the office space) and development of the characters beyond quirky stereotypes.
But I'm sure what they'll do is focus on developing the relationship between the star and Australian girl.
Time will see. I'm not overly hopeful, however. The shows writers' just don't seem to have the skill to pull it off.
Jeff in Boston
- Thread starter
- #3
Yeah I'm definitely not In a rush to set the DVR to record this show....but I am interested to see how it developes.
Watched it and thought it had some potential, but more in a wait-and-see mode.
I was mildly amused. I enjoyed the pool of blood bit....
+1
In fact, every day I wake up and the first thing I say is "You know, I need to see some more America bashing."
As a fan of the movie (which was subtle in its approach and thus effective), I was wary of the show. I watched it and must admit that I laughed more than once, but it's in a tricky spot. How does it walk the line between slapstick "culture clash" and "fish out of water" office satire?
I discussed it with SWMBO (who's Indian) and she agreed with me that there was one joke that wouldn't go over well in India -- the "silly hat" bit comparing a Packers cheesehead to a turban -- and the bit where Manmeet is surprised that Americans date without marrying is an outdated stereotype, since many young urban Indians today date like Westerners.
That being said, I think the talk of it being racist and offensive is much ado about nothing. There are many Indian actors involved with it and I'm sure that if they were truly offended they wouldn't do the show.
If it starts to take the approach of the film and explore cultural differences rather than caricatures, I can see it succeeding. And I think there will be a bit of America bashing as it goes on, because of the differing points of view and the fact that many Americans truly are ignorant of other cultures (something people of this country bristle at when it's pointed out, which is part of the fun of satire). It's a fact and I see nothing wrong with it being portrayed onscreen, especially in a show like this. The movie did it without being too overt and preachy; I'm sure the TV show can too.
I discussed it with SWMBO (who's Indian) and she agreed with me that there was one joke that wouldn't go over well in India -- the "silly hat" bit comparing a Packers cheesehead to a turban -- and the bit where Manmeet is surprised that Americans date without marrying is an outdated stereotype, since many young urban Indians today date like Westerners.
That being said, I think the talk of it being racist and offensive is much ado about nothing. There are many Indian actors involved with it and I'm sure that if they were truly offended they wouldn't do the show.
If it starts to take the approach of the film and explore cultural differences rather than caricatures, I can see it succeeding. And I think there will be a bit of America bashing as it goes on, because of the differing points of view and the fact that many Americans truly are ignorant of other cultures (something people of this country bristle at when it's pointed out, which is part of the fun of satire). It's a fact and I see nothing wrong with it being portrayed onscreen, especially in a show like this. The movie did it without being too overt and preachy; I'm sure the TV show can too.
I caught the last half and liked what I saw for the most part. It has potential.
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