Who knew Outsourcing was so fun? Apparently the creators of the sitcom Outsourced did. After watching the pilot and the episode The Measure of a Manmeet of the lighthearted show, I was really able to take away a lot from the observations I made about the show.
For one, throughout the show they had very dynamic characters and cultural portrayals. In the show the Indians are portrayed as at first backwards and not yet up to speed on American customs but generally nice people and fast learners. Like they don’t know what mistletoe is in the beginning but they make an effort to learn about it and the other catalog items and they invite Todd to sit at their lunch table. Americans were portrayed as somewhat slow to change, for example Charlie still only ate peanut butter and jelly for lunch. They were also portrayed as either kind or cutthroat. Seeing as Jerry wanted Todd to fire an employee Todd couldn’t bear to do so. I would consider they characters appropriately round for a sitcom because they are like people everyone can relate to, like the stupid-mean well friend in Charlie ( he never even learned his employees names) or the person that talks too much in Gupta. Like many sitcoms, certain characters archetypes are apparent. Gupta is the witless because he truly doesn’t understand what is going on around him and that he talks too much and people hate his stories although they make it clear by hiding from him and Todd even telling him in his employee evaluation. Rajiv is the want to be wit because he thinks that he understands how to manage the employees when he really has a lot to learn, such as fear through firing isn’t going to make them work any more efficiently. Todd is the true wit because he understands that he doesn’t understand everything and it takes a truly smart person to get that their job is to be adaptable and learn as they go along.
Also in observing the sitcom Outsourced I was able to come up with some reasons as to why it might have been canceled. First of all, outsourcing is portrayed as a nonchalant thing that sometimes happens that you have to go along with. Also it showed that outsourcing can happen on a whim. This can be seen by the fact that when Todd went to work one day his boss Jerry just told him that the company was being outsourced to India to make a bigger profit and that he would lose his job if he didn’t go. Also, there were also other people, including another American named Charlie whose job was outsourced too. Maybe it hit too close to home with people because they realized although its funny, it’s happening in the real world. On the same coin, maybe some people couldn’t relate to it enough since as Americans we rarely think of where our services come from. That could have taken away some of its appeal. Secondly, Cultural issues like food and dating are emphasized while things like religion and the sacredness of the cow are taken lightly. For example, in The Measure of a Manmeet, Todd is constantly seen craving beef even though he knows cows are considered sacred and not to be eaten ( even in the pilot Gupta told him not to touch the cow outside the office). India is portrayed as a hot, muggy, colorful, busy place with lots of open bazaars and people. Basically a common stereotype. It just makes me wonder how much responsibility the sitcom has and whether it’s to the general populace or just gaining viewers. Although it was a funny show, if the sitcom had not gone the stereotypical route which could have offended some people or hit either too close or too far away from home it wouldn’t have been canceled.
All in all, Outsourced was a wonderful show that did try to make outsourcing fun. It gave Americans a look at what does happen when jobs are outsourced and made us step back and see our pre conceived notions of others from a new perspective. Maybe the world wasn’t ready for it, but it will be missed.
