It’s not often that a new show gets some people so angry before it even airs but NBC’s new TV show, Outsourced, certainly rubs some people the wrong way. Did that hurt the ratings? Will it be quickly cancelled or become a long-term staple of NBC’s Thursday night line-up?
Outsourced follows a US sales manager, Todd Dempsey (Ben Rappaport), who’s assigned to supervise his company’s call center in India. The new sitcom also stars Anisha Nagarajan, Diedrich Bader, Parvesh Cheena, Pippa Black, Rebecca Hazelwood, Rizwan Manji, and Sacha Dhawan.
Some people have expressed resentment over the show’s theme, especially considering this country’s struggling economy and unemployment problem. Others maintain that the show’s intent is to show how offices are the same, regardless of where they’re located.
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In its first week on the air, Outsourced attracted a 3.6 in the 18-49 demographic and 7.49 million total viewers. For the timeslot, it ranked in third place in total viewers but was second in the demo, where the numbers really count.
On the downside, Outsourced lost about 20% of its Office lead-in audience in the demo and 12% in total viewers. Also, about 15% of its audience tuned out midway through the episode. Those people gave it a try and probably won’t be back next week.
New shows typically lose about 15% in week two so we’ll have to wait and see how this one’s ratings hold up. For now, things look good for Outsourced.
What do you think? Did you give it a try? Were you offended by Outsourced? Was it different than you expected? Cancel or keep it?
Image courtesy NBC.
I LOVE THIS SHOW!!! I cant’ get enough of it. It’s so funny. It’s just what I need after a long day @ work. I look forward to watching it every week. Definitely a big fan.
One of the funniest shows ever! I am Indian and I think it is hilarious and don’t find anything offensive. And to other Indian people who think it is not funny, grow up..
I have all the episodes and I like it very much. I have been in the US for over 40 years and have seen India go from a poor 3rd world country to its enlightend status now. o I can enjoy the showa rendering of India. I sympathsize with those who have taken offense to the way India is being currently projected in the show. Those conditions still do exist. Treat the show as a comedy and if it gives you a few laughs in these stressful times then we should enjoy and relax and not be overtly critical.
Parks & Recreation was not very funny, and the jokes were very slapstick and cheap. Outsourced is fabulously funny and I couldn’t stop laughing. Those who hate the show … quit griping, it’s only a TV show.
I went to all the trouble of posting to an online web source, this one, just to say, cancel it.
I hope NBC takes this disgrace of a show Outsourced off the Air….It is an insult to every American who has lost their jobs due to corporate greed and cheap, inferior foreign labor ! !!!
How dare you call foreign labor inferior. Indians are amongst the hardest working people in the world.
i refuse to watch this show because it took parks and recreation’s time slot which is one of my favorites… i gave outsourced about 5 minutes before deciding it was garbage. even if it is good im still gonna hate it off principal
LOVE IT! I normally don’t watch TV and I found this show on Hulu.com…come on, let’s have a little sense of humor people. Have a blast in life! Laugh and your life will change!
It’s a comedy !!, and my wife and I laughed till tears came down watching the first episode. Hope it stays on, and those who did not think it is funny, “Get a life” you obviously don’t live in the real world, Great street scenes and the characters do an excellent part. ABC and CBS have absolutely nothing in this time slot and we are tired of all the Crime shows or Medical far fetched shows.
You are an absolute R TARD if you laughed at all during this show.
The show just isn’t funny, bring back Parks and Recreation.
I have seen 3 episodes so far, and I like it. It’s different from everyday tv and is quite entertaining. I really hope it will continue.
Yeah about the show. I watched it and although I don’t relate that much to the Indian culture except for the religion part(I’m Hindu) I find this the most horrible show I ever watched. I really tried, I did watch all three the episodes and I hated them all!!!!!!!! I like the actors very much and I’ll watch any other show they will appear in. Really like Ben Rappaport and all the others (D. Bader etc.). Anyways, hate the jokes, hate the ‘Indian’ kind of feel to it, it isn’t a clever show. It is absolutely not funny at all… Read more »
Seriously dude. You are offended ?!? I am Indian and if you prefer a Hindu too (since you brought the religion to the fore). I am not at all offended by “Outsourced”. I can understand why the Americans might be upset given the economy at this time….
Not so much offended, but it’s more the context and the stereotypes which are totally lame. I don’t have a problem with that stereotyping etc. but with Outsourced it is just lame, wrong and not well written.
You know it think this could have been a great show if they just changed the outlook. It feels like a kids show which is great for Nickelodeon or so, but not this.
Anyways, do you like the show?
Even I am not offended by the show but it feels tacky. I am from Mumbai ,where it is set in, and it makes the city look like a set from a 1800s description of India. You can Google Mumbai and find out what I mean by the vast difference from reality. The show isn’t the first to deal with outsourcing [try Mumbai Calling -excellent show Brit-Indian actors]. I am quite sure that the show won’t last unless given a revamp. Right now it feels like a sketch on SNL whereas it should instead be more like “The Office” in… Read more »
I think the show is funny on an entertainment level. However, I do not, and have never liked the idea of jobs being outsourced. Whenever I’ve had to speak with a customer service rep, I usually end up incensed because I have problems understanding the rep.; especially those routed to Mumbai. Perhaps that’s why I find the show funny because they are struggling to be understood.
The show makes us look at ourselves, and it isn’t pretty. The differences between the 2 cultures provides an interesting dynamic. I really enjoy the cast, especially the people from India. I also enjoy seeing the scenes shot from India. The show subtley widens cultural horizons, and gives Americans a chance to see, mirrored against a more traditional family values society, what a consumeristic society we have become. I am sorry to see it go.
The actors are all American with the exception of Two from Britain. None of the shots are from India – almost all of them are from a studio.
And this is in nowhere near an accurate representation of the hundreds of cultures that exist within India and cannot be used as a “learning tool” for any sort of understanding…
This show is pathetic in taste…
It could have had so much more depth but it didn’t
The shots inbetween are definitely from India. By that I mean the crowd, autos etc… but I do not understand how they mix both especially because I see Todd and Charlie in the middle of all that chaos in the street in certain episodes.
I find the show in poor taste and infuriating due to jobs being lost in the US to outsourcing.