Brown-See T.V.

by Sneha Goud

In the 1980s, The Cosby Show was the most diverse show on television.  In the 90′s, two of NBC’s hit Thursday night comedies, Friends and Seinfeld, were criticized for their whitewashed view of New York.  But it definitely is not the 90s anymore and Zee TV isn’t the only channel to feature Indian actors.   NBC now has Indian characters on all four of its Thursday night comedies.  And Indian actors have popped up on new shows on all major networks this year. 

Maulik Pancholy plays the beleaguered assistant Johnathan on 30 Rock.  Ever protective of his boss Jack (played by Alec Baldwin), Pancholy’s character always offers a bit of comic relief with his frenzied personality.  Pancholy has also starred as the gay drug dealer Sanjay on Weeds.  He is a professionally trained actor as a graduate of Yale Drama School.

As Tom Haverford on Parks and Recreation, 2009 has been South Carolina native Aziz Ansari’s breakout year.  He starred in new king of comedy Judd Apatow’s Funny People, playing Randy. The character is otherwise known as “RAAAANDY,” an energetic stand-up comedian known for his offbeat jokes and outsized personality. The character is so memorable, Ansari is developing a movie starring the character.

Kelly Kapoor, played by Mindy Kaling is one of the most recognizable characters in a large cast of quirky characters on The Office.  Since the show started six years ago, the boy-crazy, gossipy, and celebrity-obsessed customer representative has been making The Office a lot more fun.  Kaling is also a writer for the show and is in talks to develop and star in her own NBC sitcom. 

Community, which premiered this year, features Danny Pudi as Abed, an eccentric film nerd who reveals a new talent each week.  Pudi is half-Indian, half-Polish and has displayed his Polish dancing skills on the talk-show circuit this fall. 

Other new shows which feature Indian characters this year are Glee with Iqbal Theba as Principal Higgins, The Big Bang Theory with Kunal Nayyar as Raj, The Good Wife with Archie Panjabi as Kalinda Sharma, and Royal Pains with Reshma Shetty as Divya Katdare.

Even more projects are in the works — a pilot called Nirvana starring Kal Penn, Outsourced, a comedy about an American sent to work in India, and a US version of the British Comedy The Kumars at No. 42.

These characters are important milestones for Indian Americans in the media.  None of them fit a Western stereotype of Indians — no computer engineers, nerdy doctors, or conservative women.  Thanks to these television shows, the American public is being exposed to a large and influential immigrant group.