Outsourced: Season 1
  • Network: NBC
  • Series Premiere Date: Sep 23, 2010
  • Season #: 1
User Score
7.3 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 92 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 71 out of 92
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 92
  3. Negative: 11 out of 92

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  1. Bradbatross
    Nov 19, 2010
    3
    I watch it because it's on after the office and before the apprentice. Everyone in Outsourced is unlikable except for Gupta. Horrible script, no laughs.
  2. tadpole
    Oct 22, 2010
    0
    This is a terrible show. It takes an idea that could have been great and makes it difficult to watch. The acting is over done and the jokes are lame. Overall the show is horrible.
  3. kristen58
    Sep 30, 2010
    0
    This show is God-awful. I hated it. It wasn't funny AT ALL. I didn't laugh once. It's just stupid and racist. It was just about picking out the easiest things about Indian culture to make fun of. So stupid. I want Parks and Rec back.
  4. Dai
    Oct 4, 2010
    4
    What matters isn't whether or not the show skirts the line in terms of cultural insensitivity (which it arguably does) but whether it's funny or not, and it isn't. The jokes wouldn't seem at all insensitive if they were any good, but they're not; they're incredibly cheap and lazy and way too far apart. Some of the cast makes a good effort - particularly Rizwan Manji as the conniving Rajiiv - but most of them are held back by the fact that the jokes they're delivering are consistently really weak. In many cases the pilot simply throws away opportunities for humor; if you're going to call attention to the fact that a character's name sounds like "man meat", you should at least get a joke out of it. A few of the characters get the same joke over and over again - in some cases, such as the older man who storms out every time Rappaport's Todd Dempsey says something offensive, it works; in other cases, such as the call center worker who never speaks above a whisper, the joke is almost painfully unfunny.

    I feel as though the show does have some potential; it could be an interesting and humorous examination of culture shock instead of something that lazily marches from stereotype to stereotype without saying anything particularly interesting or funny. ("Look, it's a sacred cow!" - "Indian food can do a number on your digestion!" - "Sikhs wear head coverings!") Ultimately, though, what matters is whether or not the show is funny. And it's not. The jokes, when they show up, are almost uniformly lame. The show could -use- a more sophisticated eye with regards to how it handles jokes about different cultures, but what it really -needs- is simply much better writing.    … Expand
  5. tompengu
    Nov 15, 2010
    3
    This show trys to hard to be funny. I couldn't bring myself to watch this show after 15 minutes. I couldn't deal with the fact that it's racist, and also like another show from 2007...
  6. CTOT
    Nov 7, 2010
    4
    Another disappointing attempt at entertainment by nbc. Outsourced has a few funny lines here and there but is mostly just a bunch of cheap, lazy, racist jokes. This show has a lot of potential that its just not living up to.
  7. PickyCritic
    Nov 20, 2010
    0
    I was looking forward to this show, but its been a major dissapointment full of phony and lame jokes. The main actors of the show cant act and have no chemistry such as Todd, Asha, Charlie, its painful watching them as they try so hard and fail so miserably. The whole show has something missing, its just superficial and full of cliches. I dont think its racist, but I am annoyed with the ridiculous Todd-Asha love plot, first they have no chemistry, and second it displays typical American iggnorance towards cultural sensitive topics. Maybe arranged marriages are not accepted by Americans, but there is no need to preach our values to everyone else. Past that major blunder, the show doesnt deliver or entertain, it seems to be lacking direction, a good cast, and real clever humor. Perhaps its biggest default is the casting, surprisingly its not the Indian, but the American picked cast that seem to really lack the ability to carry the show forward. I tried to watch it thinking the show would get better, but after the last episode I dont think I can handle anymore. Worst show I have seen on television this season.… Expand
  8. wordisbond
    Jan 20, 2011
    0
    The plot of this show is awful, and the acting is worse. I created a metacritic account just to come here and voice my opinion about how bad I think this show is. I'm a huge fan of most of NBC's Thursday night lineup. It's actually my favorite T.V. night. I could not be more thankful they brought back Parks & Rec - that is a great show. 30 Rock and The Office are outstanding. But Outsourced is absolutely ruining it. The jokes are bad, and I've seen better acting in middle school plays. NBC, if you replace this trash with another great comedy, you will have a Thursday comedy night made of gold.

    That is all.    … Expand
  9. pinoycritic
    Apr 25, 2011
    4
    I have a mixed feeling about this show. Coming from an outsourcing background, there is a wide range of potential laughs coming from outsourcing experiences which are not properly depicted in this show. It does show the cultural differences in a funny manner - these were "safe jokes" though. In addition, there were not enough emphasis on points which would have been funnier, such as the bobble head thing or the train ride where Todd actually slapped his face at someone's arm pits? There was not enough emphasis or dramatic flair - it was as if it just passed by, but in reality it would have been a lot funnier. What happens when you have used up all the Indian versus American culture? What happens then? Regardless, it does depict Indian Culture and how the rest of the world is unfamiliar with it - in a charming way.… Expand
  10. AtTheMovies
    Jun 18, 2011
    4
    At first I absolutely loathed this show. The first half of the season was incredibly racist and stereotypical, and the second half was pretty good. The first half felt lazy, and the second half actually started character development. Gupta is an absolutely horrible character, contrary to what many people are saying. I would give the first half of the season a 2, and the second half a 6, so my review evens out at a 4. The show would be a lot better next season, had it not been canceled. It's not near as good as 30 Rock, The Office, or Parks and Recreation, and is only a little worse then Community. If you like the rest of NBC's shows, give it a shot, otherwise, it is passable.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
46 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 23 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 23
  3. Negative: 10 out of 23
  1. Variety
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    70
    Fortunately, Rappaport is a fairly effective Everyman, and the wince-inducing aspects of the premise quickly fade into standard workplace comedy deriving a twist from its location.
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  2. Boston Herald
    Reviewed by: Mark A. Perigard
    42
    The humor is crude and risque and often at the expense of Indian culture. I could have lived without the defecation jokes. To be fair, the writers don't give America a pass.
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  3. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Paige Wiser
    63
    Maybe the cast of this sitcom will come together with some "Community"-level chemistry. Right now, it's just awkward and borderline offensive.
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