Outsourced

I would never have guessed that this show would be as funny as it is! I actually watched each episode back-to-back and it continued to get funnier as the shows progressed. It's great formula comedy and the characters have fantastic comedic timing!! If you haven't yet -- give this one a chance! I was expecting the story lines to be staid and predictable. So far, so good -- not a one yet has been anything I expected. The principal interacts with his counterparts so well it makes it seem that the work environment could be real! I've never been to India, but this would almost entice me to visit. The people in this sitcom are very watchable. You'll find yourself laughing out loud - promise!

Outsourced is Hilarious!

Granted that one who has more insight on Indian culture would find it funnier than someone who is still coming to terms with real-life outsourcing, any viewer with an open mind would easily find an easy laugh out of this story.

The protagonists have not yet been fully developed but with each new episode, more comedic talent is displayed and each so far has been better than the last. This show has the building blocks of a solid comedy, interesting and funny characters, fresh ideas, and a different setting from our typical abstract-humor based comedies like Frasier.

The biggest gripe that non-fans have with this show is that it seems insensitive to those who may have lost their jobs to actual outsourcing. Perhaps if the show went a different way, where a bunch of Indians came to open a gag-prop business in America, they would feel less insulted.

Regardless of ones taste for comedy, the show has its own merits and gives promise of great potential but hey,

IT CANT BE ANY WORSE THAN ***"THE CLEVELAND SHOW"***

outsourcing is a hot and happening subject and this is a series totally based on that.it did start of well with a bang only to lose its flair midway,but did come back strong around the end of the season.sadly its heard that there wont be any further seasons of this indo-us combo due to viewer ship issue.but tell u what being an Indian i personally don't feel the series as offensive,even though only the poorer parts of Mumbai have been emphasizes and shown in the series.

Ben rappaport as Todd/manager does an excellent job,Gupta and Charlie are probably the most comic characters in the show with Charlie coming up with some rave ideas and Gupta being as dumb and disgusting as possible.also the Indian accent and u.s culture blending with Indian culture makes it a good watch.

well all in all a good series with a brilliant concept which should be given a try by all of them out there and truly deserves one more season at least.....

As someone who has TWICE within the last 7 years lost my position to outsourcing I winced at the news of this show coming to NBC. After all, WHY would I want to watch a show, and a comedy at that, based upon a concept that has left me jobless. I have to be honest; I was hoping that the employees would be foolish, cultural stereotypes, and therefore I would have an excuse to poke fun at them. So I sat back, got my generic snacks and soda ready (can't afford the name brand stuff anymore) and prepared myself for a chance at cultural ridicule. But a funny thing happened; about 10 minutes in....I laughed! Not at the locals naive concept at American excesses, NOT at their reverence of all things beef-related, NOT at their stereotypical accents (actually in THEIR country the American had the accent) but because I heard something funny. So I put my pride in my pocket and started to watch this show as though I was interested in what I was watching. Then I realized something; just because someone is naive doesn't make them stupid or deserving of ridicule. What I ALSO realized was that these characters were just like me...wanting a job so they could pay their bills, put food on their table and a roof over their heads. And even though the locals were naive and kind of goofy in a sweet way I found myself caring about them. For example, the young girl who barely speaks above a whisper; THIS is a job for someone like her? Of course not. But her character was so innocent and so sweet and wouldn't give up I was rooting for her to succeed. The guy who couldn't stop talking...we ALL know someone like that but he wasn't obnoxious, probably just lonely and haven't we ALL been there? The American manager who was sent to India to head this rag-tag group could have been written as a cruel SOB but he wasn't. Their success was HIS success and he goes above and beyond to see that his employees succeed so he could secure his own position and contribute to the company's bottom line (without being a creep in the process). These are likable, well conceived and well acted characters and guess what...the show is funny. Maybe not "The Big Bang Theory" or "30 Rock" or even "Family Guy" funny but I'm willing to give them every opportunity to rise to the occasion.

In the pilot of Outsourced, Todd (played by Ben Rappaport)arrives at his workplace one morning to find the Midwestern joke catalog callcentre he manages desolate. Todd is told he can either follow the work, which has been outsourced to India or find another job. Rather than face job hunting in this economy, he chooses India.

The utter charm of this show is in the storytelling from Todd's point of view; Rappaport's simple, untraveled Todd embraces the vast cultural differences he encounters in his new home with mystified delight. As a long time American ex-pat in a different culture, I remember that feeling of discovery.

Some people have complained of stereotyping and at the beginning of the show, the characters did come off as stereotypes; Todd, like us (the American audience for whom the show is written), is uninitiated and meets several new people on the same day just as we meet them in the first half hour. Due to some of the best sitcom scriptwriting EVER, characters have developed, Todd's POV has dampened and the show has become a true ensemble.

I could write several more paragraphs about Outsourced, rhapsodizing the scriptwriting, superb ensemble cast, direction and arc of the show- but I will instead tell you this; outsourced is a show about Joy- about reveling in our differences and sameness and foibles and strengths.

The only reason I didn't give it 10 stars is that is reserved for M*A*S*H* and the first few years of Taxi.