The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh

Funny, easy to watch series. It's a comedy series, so, spoiler alert, they've exaggerated behaviours for comedy value. It's not real life or a documentary. I enjoyed the dysfunctional family dynamics and I lived for Sudha and little Vinod's characters.

Sudha, the mum, is played by Sindhu Vee who is a hilarious stand-up comedian in the UK (if you don't know her, she's worth looking up)

It's a fun, light hearted series with a few uncomfortable scenes but easy to watch. It's reflective of the 2020s and it's nice to see a non-white family as the lead characters. I've read a few negative reviews about authenticity but I'm fairly sure the producers were trying to create a funny series, not factually accurate. Enjoy!

No laughs out loud, which is how I judge comedies. But it's an interesting idea and rather fun. Culture shock is usually great comedy.

But the biggest objection I have is that none of the Pittsburgh natives speak Pittsburgese! I caught one "yinz," but the pronunciations are all wrong. I was born Pittsburgh. So it's painfully obvious.

The acting is good, overall, and Vinod is precious. He got smiles. And Naveen Andrews is always good. As I see it, the show just needs better writing. Maybe season 2 will be better, and I do hope it gets another run. I'll try the show again.

But if it's Pittsburgh, and that's in the title, make it Pittsburgh. Don't dance around it. That could be much funnier. And p.s., it should be easy for actors to assume the dialect.

Yes the Pradeeps are Indian, they speak with Indian accents, they wear Indian clothes but they are also very Americanized despite living in Pittsburgh for such a short time. There are nods to the Pradeeps' heritage but by and large this is a show for a general American audience. That audience is still not ready for a dignified romantic relationship between a brown person and a white person. What we get instead is the daugher Bhanu lusting after her neighbor Stu but told to slow down because of their religious differences. The son Kamal lusts after his neighbor Janice who is also his school teacher. Its embarassing to see this on screen in 2024 and I was mashing the fast forward ten seconds button on my remote to get through it. The neighbor Jimbo remarks that women would be interested in the father character Mahesh for his understanding of Karma, but of course we will not ever see a woman show interest towards a brown man in this program.

If you're ready and willing to fast foward through the cringe there are some enjoyable dynamics in the show. The friendship between Mahesh and Jimbo was refreshing. The rivalry between Sudha and Janice is over the top but funny at times. I like the two investigator characters who play good cop, bad cop and try to get a confession out of the Pradeeps. The youngest son Vinod is meant to be a precious kid and draws laughs. Heck I like the entire cast and I hope they all get roles after this or if there is a season 2 it simply comes out better. Other television programs like 'Fresh Off the Boat' and 'Never Have I Ever' set a standard for immigrant and South Asian stories and they make 'Pradeeps of Pittsburgh' look feeble by comparison.

I found the show really entertaining! Honestly, just ignore the haters-most of the negative comments seem to come from people who just don't get the humor. I'm Indian, and my girlfriend is Colombian, and we both couldn't stop laughing at the accents and the little guy who's obsessed with garbage and recycling. The show definitely has its moments, and what's funny is that I even see some similarities between the characters and my own parents. It's refreshing to see something that plays with cultural quirks. These days, people are so overly sensitive that it's hard to enjoy anything without someone getting offended. But seriously, give it a watch and decide for yourself!

Yes, the characters are over the top. That's because this is a comedy and not a documentary. The Indian characters are stereotypical, but so are the American ones. The Mills Family are every single American stereotype wrapped into one family - it's actually impressive that the writers managed it: overly religious, petty, redneck, hunting, etc. - every American stereotype ever, wrapped up in a bushy beard and a bleach-blonde hairdo.

So two stereotypes - Indian and American - living next-door to each other: it was just funny. The youngest Pradeep was adorable, and not at all realistic for any child his age, no matter what country they came from. But it's a tv show and not reality.

It's not perfect, far off from that. But it's definitely pretty funny and good for a Sunday binge.