Line #19 Series/Outsourced


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11	[[quoteright:333:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/outsourced-show_9463.jpg]]
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13	Based on [[Film/{{Outsourced}} the 2006 independent film of the same name]], ''Outsourced'' was a short-lived (2010–11) Creator/{{NBC}} WorkCom about an American heading up a [[OperatorFromIndia call center in India]]. Its one and only season can be [[http://www.hulu.com/outsourced seen in its entirety]] on {{Creator/Hulu}}.
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15	'''The major characters are:'''
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17	* Todd Dempsy (Creator/BenRappaport) - TheEveryman and a FishOutOfWater, like his filmic counterpart, though with some more DeadpanSnarker leanings added. He's also a bit too fond of the IdiotBall. Younger than the movie character, who was approaching middle age and had been a manager for some time. In contrast, the TV version is still fairly fresh out of college and had only just finished management training before the pilot.
18	* Rajiv Gidwani (Creator/RizwanManji) - Todd's two-faced assistant manager, who would [[EvilChancellor like to displace him and run the call center himself as a whip-cracking dictator]]. His filmic counterpart was named Puro and was a perfectly friendly NumberTwo character, although the less sympathetic TV version is still given occasional PetTheDog moments.
19	* Manmeet (Creator/SachaDhawan) - TheCasanova[=/=]CasanovaWannabe type character, who was a LivingProp in the movie. Todd's [[TheLancer Lancer]], more or less, largely taking over the role which Puro had in the original movie.
20	* Asha (Creator/RebeccaHazlewood) - Todd's LoveInterest in the movie, she has {{UST}} with him on the show, but it was, of course, never fully resolved. When she's not being used for romance plots, she's a GenericGirl who tends to be OutOfFocus in favor of the quirkier Madhuri.
21	* Gupta (Creator/ParveshCheena) - A WackyGuy with no counterpart in the movie. The show's ButtMonkey, though occasionally a {{Jerkass}}. Never stops talking. Ever.
22	* Madhuri (Creator/AnishaNagarajan) - A ShrinkingViolet and another filmic LivingProp promoted to series regular. Began to show some {{Cloudcuckoolander}} leanings towards the show's end.
23	* Charlie Davies (Creator/DiedrichBader) - An American who has been running an Indian call center for some time. A CynicalMentor to Todd. For some reason, Charlie appears to spend his off-hours getting involved in wacky hijinks with Todd's employees. The movie has a somewhat analogous character who appears in only one scene.
24	* Tonya (Creator/PippaBlack) - An Australian call center manager in a LoveTriangle with Todd and Asha. A GoodBadGirl type [[BettyAndVeronica in contrast to the more conservative Asha]]. Does not have a counterpart in the movie. Todd dated her for a while, but she was OutOfFocus a lot before and after their relationship.
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26	----
27	!!Tropes include:
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29	* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Charlie wants Tonya, Tonya wants Todd, Todd wants Asha.
30	* AlternateContinuity: There are changes in the characters' names (for example, "Todd Anderson" becomes "Todd Dempsy") and the company's headquarters is moved from Seattle to Kansas City.
31	%%* ArrangedMarriage: Asha, similar to the film.
32	* AluminumChristmasTrees: The Holi episode might seem like a FictionalHoliday but, sitcom hijinks aside, it's an actual holiday and it really is a custom to throw paint and powder at people. Charlie tries his best to make it a PaintballEpisode, and it does assume similar proportions. It was also featured, with fewer hijinks, in the movie.
33	%%** Vindaloo Day on the other hand...
34	* AscendedExtra:
35	** All the call center operators besides Asha. In the movie, they were {{Living Prop}}s, but in the TV show they're {{Regular Character}}s with their actors credited in the [[PromotionToOpeningTitles opening titles]]. And in-show, Pinky.
36	** Also Bearded Turban Guy (whose name is Ajeet), who showed up as a LivingProp but who is, as of the finale, [[spoiler:Madhuri's boyfriend.]]
37	* BenevolentBoss: Todd. Many of his Americanism may be found unintentionally insulting by his workers, but they tend to be forgiving, as they also realize he's a good boss, who oftentimes shows how much he cares about their well being.
38	%% * BettyAndVeronica: Asha and Tonya towards Todd respectively.
39	* BrickJoke: You remember that one-off innuendo that Todd's boss was getting a happy ending at his massage? It isn't until two episodes later that we find out the masseuse was an undercover cop, the resulting scandal hit all the major newspapers, and it's the reason his marriage is falling apart.
40	** There's also a [[IncrediblyLamePun literal]] [[WindowPain brick joke]] in the pilot.
41	** And one more crosses over with LeeroyJenkins in the Holi episode, as Pinki charges away without listening to the plan, only to show up when the plan has been executed.
42	* CantActPervertedTowardALoveInterest: Todd taps everyone's shoulder (which counts as sexual harassment), except Asha's.
43	* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Charlie definitely qualifies with his hobbies, setting camp inside a deer, [[CrazyPrepared his innecessary survival and burglary kits]], and his wallet made of ''his own skin''.
44	%% ** And Gupta. No wonder they become such good friends.
45	%% ** And of course Pinkie.
46	%%* ControlFreak: Rajiv.
47	* CreditsGag: The credits either play over an extension of the episode, or a little skit related to it or what happened later.
48	* CultureClash: A big part of the plot is Todd trying to adapt to his new life amongst Indian society, likewise his workers attempt to adjust to their boss's unintended cultural faux-pas, while also doing their best to help him acclimate to his new community.
49	%%* DeadpanSnarker: Rajiv.
50	* DeliberateValuesDissonance:
51	** An ArrangedMarriage plays a major factor in the current storyline, and despite the fact that the practice clearly offends the American protagonist, the show has taken a surprisingly non-judgmental route with the whole thing.
52	** During his lecture on sexual harassment, Todd showed his workers a video from the 80s discussing what is and is not appropriate behavior in the workplace. Not only do Todd's staff think complimenting a coworker's blouse is inappropriate, but they react to the sight of two people kissing as if it's pornography. Later, Madhuri reacts to their American boss Jerry kissing her hand as if she just had sex with him (or as she says "I just gave the milk away for free.")
53	** Todd keeps getting reported to the sexual harassment hotline because he incessantly touches people's shoulders. [[CultureClash Naturally Todd has no clue he's done anything.]]
54	** Jerry is going through divorce negotiations, and feels it is inevitable. Rajiv is aghast at it and [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech gives him a piece of his mind]], accusing him of not trying hard enough to save his marriage. After all, Rajiv eagerly wishes to marry Vimi, much against her father's wishes, and will do what he can to keep his marriage steady for life.
55	* DenserAndWackier: The movie could take place in the real world, but the show is decidedly set in Sitcomland. Which is [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools not necessarily a bad thing]], as the same could be said of ''Series/ThirtyRock'', ''Series/{{Community}}'', et al., but it does mean the film and the show have completely different styles of humor.
56	* FanService:
57	** [[MrFanservice Manmeet turned into a WalkingShirtlessScene in the last few episodes]].
58	** [[MsFanservice Tonya]] has [[http://1.fwcdn.pl/ph/78/01/567801/244416.1.jpg her moments]] in Todd's Halloween party.
59	%%* FishOutOfWater
60	* GangOfBullies: The rivals in the cafeteria claiming to work in the call centers for Apple and Microsoft.
61	* GroinAttack: Charlie's accident with the waterbomb.
62	* GuileHero: Madhuri has figured out how to con Rajiv quite well, getting him to pay 21,000 rupees for a 3,000 rupee sari. Eventually, Todd uses this skill of hers to get the better of the [=GloboCon=] call center.
63	%%* HalloweenEpisode
64	* HandOrObjectUnderwear: A coconut, specifically.
65	* HiddenHeartOfGold: Rajiv when Madhuri is in need.
66	* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Pretty much every episode title is an IncrediblyLamePun merging some aspect of Indian culture with an English phrase relevant to the plot. Examples include "A Sitar Is Born", "Sari, Charlie", and "Take This Punjab and Shove It".
67	* IdiotBall:
68	** Many of the problems Todd encounters could be avoided by reading a travel guide about India.
69	** Similarly, many of the Indian workers come across a little too naive or lacking in knowledge given the amount of American culture that is exported via the internet/Hollywood film/TV to India.
70	* InnocentInnuendo: Gupta shaking his flashlight, which somehow is always seen from behind...
71	* IronicEcho: Todd's employees are ordered off a table by Charlie's workers, who lay claim to their table, with the words "Get Up". After a chain of events, we hear Todd's employees tell Charlie's to "Get Up" at the end of the episode. See {{Revenge}}.
72	* IronicEchoCut: Asha chides Todd over 'contaminating the break room table', with a reference to his getting cozy with Tonya over it the night before. Cut to Gupta littering the same table with his eats.
73	* IrrationalHatred: Rajiv towards Todd.
74	* JerkAss:
75	** Gupta can come across like this at times, more so than his ButtMonkey status.
76	** Charlie's employees play this trope straight. They think they're far superior because they handle customers of Apple and Microsoft and not some novelties retailer.
77	** Todd's brother Brad loves shoving in his face how's he's TheUnfavourite of the family.
78	* LeeroyJenkins: One of the employees in "Todd's Holi War" storms out without even listening to the plan. After the plan is executed she shows up late to the party.
79	* MeaningfulName: The character Manmeet ("Man meat")is also the playboy charmer of the group.
80	* MusicalEpisode: Which included a UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}} homage in the cold opening.
81	* NiceGuy: Despite all of his moments of unintended [[CultureClash cultural insensitivities]] and his many instances of holding the IdiotBall, Todd is an all-around friendly person, and cares about his workers and their well-being.
82	* NightmareFuelStationAttendant: Charlie with his stalkerish hobbies and dangerous-looking gadgets.
83	%%* OlderAndWiser: Charlie for Todd.
84	* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Charlie's workers put on a neat American accent to show their wares, but often revert to their regular Indian accents while confronting Todd's workers. Another example is how Asha pronounces the name of a restaurant- "Lal Mirch"- the way a British or American national would, not like an Indian.
85	%%* OperatorFromIndia: No, really?
86	* OutOfFocus: Poor Asha. She was the secondary lead in the movie, but on the TV show, she's lucky to get a MandatoryLine in between the shenanigans of her wackier co-workers.
87	* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Tonya and Charlie have jobs running call centers similar to Todd's. We don't see Tonya's workplace until the sixteenth episode. We rarely see Charlie's subordinates. Charlie is shown goofing around with Todd's co-workers more often than his own. Maybe that gives a hint why [[spoiler:Charlie's call center was shut down?]]. [[FridgeBrilliance Makes sense when you think about it]]. Tonya's staff is considered one of the best in India, so they don't need her constant supervision. Charlie is the BromanticFoil, so in contrast to Todd, Charlie doesn't even know the name of his staff.
88	%%* PopculturalOsmosisFailure
89	* PostCoitalCollapse: In an effort to get her romantic rival Asha off his mind, Tonya puts Todd through a [[SexMontage sex marathon]] that ends with her rolling off him on a desk at the office, while she's still wearing underwear. [[SexGoddess She succeeds.]]
90	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Rajiv gives one to Jerry. Doubles up as a JerkWithAHeartOfGold moment, depending on your opinion of marriage.
91	* {{Revenge}}:
92	** There is a very bitter rivalry between Todd's workers and Charlie's 'A-team'. The 'A team' order Todd's unit off a table to which they lay claim, but Todd's workers refuse to cede the table. Later on, Todd's team seems to get massive orders which are really [[spoiler:Charlie's workers making prank calls to them]]. They eventually have their revenge [[spoiler:with Charlie's help]] when they eventually cede the table to Charlie's team [[spoiler:only for the table and chairs to come crashing down with the workers sitting on them, as they were rigged to fall apart]].
93	** Todd recruits an Indian who spent a lot of his life in the United States and has good knowledge of the country's culture and is also a smart salesman- only for Tonya to poach him with an offer that doubles his salary. Todd's revenge? [[spoiler: He helps Charlie hire him at an even higher salary.]]
94	** The air-conditioning being hogged by [=GloboCon=] is another nice revenge story. First, when the rival call center manager talks off Todd, Manmeet spills coffee on him. Then, they divert the air conditioning so that things get so hot upstairs, they are worried about losing a client because of that, and offer to double Todd's office internet speed, [[spoiler: only to freeze all their computers with a virus]]. Todd eventually returns, and [[spoiler: wages a [[IncrediblyLamePun Holi war]] on the employees of [=GloboCon=], littering the area with paint, just as their clients step in]].
95	* SensitivityTraining: An entire episode about sexual harassment with the expected jokes involving different cultural standards of acceptable workplace conduct. Todd, for example, doesn't realize that touching Madhuri's shoulder is seen as inappropriate, and she reports him for it.
96	* ShamelessFanserviceGirl: Tonya is lounging in bed naked, but out of view while Todd is talking to his family. When Todd talks about having a girlfriend, his {{Jerkass}} brother mocks him and says Todd is making it up. Cue a defensive Tonya picking up the laptop while still in the nude to tell him off (The viewer only sees her ToplessnessFromTheBack or with [[SceneryCensor laptop covering her chest]]).
97	* ShoutOut: The plot of rigging the air conditioning to cool Mid American Novelties (Todd's center) when it was being hogged by the rival [=GloboCon=] center had a [[Film/MissionImpossible very familiar feel to it]]. It was, however, missing [[MissionImpossibleCableDrop a cable]].
98	* ShrinkingViolet: Madhuri, who speaks unintelligibly quietly. As {{Lampshaded}}, working a, you know, ''phone line'' may not have been her [[IncrediblyLamePun calling]]. She finally talks in a just intelligible voice at the end of the pilot, making a sale and thus apparently [[UltimateJobSecurity securing her position]]. Maybe FridgeBrilliance if you think about it-Rajiv mentions he hired her [[JerkAss specifically so he could fire her in front of the others as a show of force]]. So that would explain how she got the job. And you notice hints throughout the series that she and her family aren't really well off, so it makes sense that she'd apply for an available job even when it wouldn't really suit her.
99	* SmugSnake: Rajiv, though spinelessly kissing up to authorities, can't behave decently even with Todd.
100	* TheStarscream: Rajiv is constantly looking for a way to backstab Todd [[TyrantTakesTheHelm so he can take over the team leader position]]. He doesn't even tries to be sneaky about it.
101	-->'''Rajiv, [[EstablishingCharacterMoment in the pilot episode]], to Todd''': Your success brings me success... (''[[SmugSnake even happier]]'') but your ''failure'' also brings me success.
102	* StartMyOwn: Todd briefly considered starting his own business instead of moving to India. One reminder about a forty-thousand-dollar debt and one GilliganCut later and he was already in India.
103	* StockScream: The Wilhelm scream is heard when someone falls off a train at the end of "Training Day".
104	%%* TakeThat: A not-so-affectionate reference is made to Film/SlumdogMillionaire by Todd's boss, Jerry.
105	* TooDumbToLive:
106	** Todd, desperately trying to not offend people in a new culture, seems to go out of his way to do just that.
107	** Eventually Charlie shows up so, when he finds that [[spoiler:his call center has been shut down and he's without a job, and has mounting daily expenses, and struggles to find a new job]].
108	* ToiletHumor: Sometimes, but not usually the focus. A lot of it is hidden in the heavily censored run on the Indian Comedy Central channel.
109	* TyrantTakesTheHelm: An episode has Rajiv taking over temporarily after Todd gets food poisoning and instituting a strict office DressCode, banning personal items, etc.
110	* TheUnfavourite: Todd is always compared unfavorably to his brother by his parents, and urge him to come back home since they have very little faith in his success.
111	* VerbedTitle: It's what happens to Todd's job and he follows his job to India.
112	%% * WelcomeEpisode: Starts with one of these.
113	* WhateverHappenedToTheMouse: First, some of Charlie's A-team members who get plenty of screen time, and then American-born Kamik, first hired by Todd, then poached by Tonya and subsequently [[spoiler:working for Charlie. The call center run by Charlie is shut down towards the end of the series]].
114	%% * WideEyedIdealist: Todd, struggling to be a cool boss.
115	* WhiteMaleLead: Todd is the protagonist, being the white supervisor in a call center in India.
116	* WillTheyOrWontThey: Early episodes have this teased between Asha and Todd. The last scene of the show implies they will.
117	%%* WindowPain: The first scene of the pilot.
118	%%* WorkCom
119	%%* CaptainSmoothAndSergeantRough: Todd and Rajiv.
120	%%* TheCharmer: Manmeet.
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Context Series / Outsourced