The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh
By Sioph W. Leal
The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh follows the Pradeep family after they move from India to America. It is a flashback driven show that uses a non-linear style to show the relationships and circumstances the Pradeeps quickly find themselves embroiled in. The main source of this conflict is how much their new lives entwine with the neighbouring Mills family who are the complete opposite.
The series promises twists and comedy but neither land with the show being a slog to get through and any semblance of humour quickly snuffed out. Surprisingly, creator Vijal Patel has worked on some great shows that can show how a family adapts to their surroundings even if they are considered “other” like Patel has done with Black-ish and the comedy elements but still family focused in The Middle. The Pradeeps don’t seem to interact much as a family but when they do it is a good part of the series with dry humour that has more chance at landing than any other moments in the show. This show should work. The cast are funny and have great but different elements of comedy with an interesting take from the interview perspective, but it never quite reaches it and the problem comes from the writing.
The Pradeep family includes Mahesh (Naveen Andrews), Sudha (Sindhu Vee) and their children Kamal (Arjun Sriram), Bhanu (Sahana Srinivasan) and Vinod (Ashwin Sakthivel). Moving to America they find their neighbours and their loves instantly become entwined with them. Bhanu starts a rebellious relationship with their son, Stu (Nicholas Hamilton), Sudha has a rivalry with their neighbour Janice (Megan Hilty) who is also Kamal’s teacher and Mahesh bonds with her husband Jimbo (Ethan Suplee). The Pradeeps are the main suspects for burning down their neighbour’s house and it quickly becomes apparent that they all have motive, starting with five dead rabbits placed outside the Pradeep home in a racist attack. The more we learn about the two families, the messier the plot becomes and not in a good way.
Plot-wise, it has some interesting moments, and you can see the foundations for a classic sitcom, but it never reaches it. While Patel states the show is from a personal place and explores the facets of the immigrant struggle and how pain gets funnier over time, it quickly becomes tiresome to watch with overused racist stereotypes that would have aired years ago and seems very outdated despite its modern setting. Heavy stereotyping is almost a given in most sitcoms but with this one it feels tired and outdated. Not just for the Pradeeps but for the Christian neighbours who lean heavily into that stereotype and the Karen-like character. The confused, jumbled plot with little comedic elements makes for these stereotypes to fall even flatter. There is some comedy in this series but not enough to make it interesting. Sudha manages to make everything hilarious with her dry wit and fierce determination but that is it.
The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh is full of tired stereotypes that are reminiscent of early 2000s comedies and not in a fun way that seems outdated in the modern age. Had this show released a decade or two earlier then it would have fitted better, but it lacks enjoyment even with a talented cast and hijinks in the plot, it doesn’t seem to combine well due to bad writing.