Sunnyside

Show has its flaws, some of the characters could use improvement but I think it has potential. Plenty of great shows had weak first seasons. 30 rock and parks and rec both got a lot better in season two so I'm hopeful for it. The last episode about the local news was great.

Sunnyside is a conventional, old-school sitcom about a disgraced politician trying to win redemption by helping a multi-cultural group gain citizenship.

I watched the first episode and liked it well enough to watch a second. It's got some good jokes scattered through it, but the plotting is sitcom stupid and the main character is an objectionable idiot, which makes it perplexing that the people he's trying to help don't give up on him.

The series is pro-immigrant, ethnically varied, and eager to avoid stereotypes. The best characters are Asian siblings who, instead of the familiar hardworking genius Asians, are wealthy, lazy, and not so bright. They are easily the funniest thing in the series, especially thanks to Poppy Liu who makes even the most innocuous lines hilarious.

Sunnyside is harmless and sometimes funny but simply doesn't offer enough to make it worth committing to.

Decent show. Diverse cast. Can't help but see Kal's character channeling Brian Griffin from Family Guy trying to be a better person after living as a douche. I hope the show gets better because I don't see it surviving past one season. I only genuinely laughed like 2-3 times per episode.

Garrett Modi (Kal Penn) spent fifteen years as a city councilman for Sunnyside, Queens. He is forced out after years of hard partying, incompetence, and a drunken viral police videotape scandal. He is trying to make a comeback and finds himself tutoring a bunch of folks hoping to be new citizens.

The subject matter is serious and the humor is rather broad. Sadly, it is not all that funny. The seriousness deflates the start. It is probably a mistake to sent one of the illegals into detention so early. I would think that's a season finale move. At least, they need to build that character up to have a relationship with the audience. We don't know who he is and nobody cares what happens to him. Worst, it's not funny.

The Asian siblings almost get there in outlandish comedy. The show needs to drop any hint of seriousness at the start. It never clicks and NBC pulls it after only four episodes. They dump the remaining seven episode online and the show disappears into the ethereal nothingness of streaming.

I'm glad I gave this show another chance after not getting/not liking the pilot that much. I feel like it has been getting better every week and the 8/10 reflects the strength of the 4th episode as well as the work of Kal Penn and many of the supporting cast ("the twins," for example, can be a bit annoying, but more often then not I laugh at loud at how ridiculous they are).

It feels like this show might be starting to hit its stride, but it currently has a 4.6/10 rating. It is sad that networks are so quick to cancel quirky shows that don't find their audience right away.