S01.E01: Pilot

[Lady Calypso]

Quote

09/26/2019 (09:30PM - 10:00PM) (Thursday) : A former New York City Councilman finds his calling when he meets a group of immigrants in search of the American dream.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

Kal Penn is a very smooth actor (that's a compliment.)  They certainly assembled a quirky supporting cast.  And lots of Moldovan representation!

[Tom Holmberg]

I assume the councilwoman who replaced him was supposed to be a AOC look-a-like.

[LBS]

4 minutes ago, Tom Holmberg said:

I assume the councilwoman who replaced him was supposed to be a AOC look-a-like.

OMG! I'm so glad that I'm not the only one who thought that. 

Overall - I enjoyed this premiere.  It does have the advantage of following The Good Place as well.  NBC seemingly stumbled on a good block of comedy for Thursday nights!

[JenLily]

I really enjoyed this show. I just love Kal Penn and I was charmed by the rest of the cast, too. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.

[HazelEyes4325]

I enjoyed it, although I found it a little--I don't know, preachy? That's not quite the right word, but I'm not sure of a better one.  I do think I need a few episodes to see how it settles out to see if I stick with it.

I did feel that they used stereotypes fairly well.  Other than Hakim, I know no one's name, so hang with me here.  The lady with all the jobs--I thought that was a good gag, although I don't know how they can keep that going for the long run.  I also liked the American/Moldavian young guy, as I think that brings to light a point that there are undocumented people who 1) Are very "American" and 2) May not even know they are undocumented.  I did think the Crazy Rich Asian pair was over the top, but I loved Hakim (Hakeem?).  I do hope that they rope the sister in more to the central story in episodes to come as I think she's a good foil for Kal Penn's character.

[tennisgurl]

I had a bit of trouble getting into the show, probably because the friend I was watching with didnt like it and kept saying "this isnt funny" over and over again and that made it kind of hard to concentrate.

Not a lot of laugh out loud moments, but I found it quite likable and I think it has a lot of potential. Its an interesting premise that I like and Kal Penn is a really likable leading man. 

9 minutes ago, HazelEyes4325 said:

I also liked the American/Moldavian young guy, as I think that brings to light a point that there are undocumented people who 1) Are very "American" and 2) May not even know they are undocumented. 

Yeah thats an interesting thing to deal with. I've heard stories about people that have lived in the US almost their entire lives, are very "American" and dont even remember the country they were born in, maybe dont even know they are undocumented, then find them themselves suddenly deported to a country they dont know where they dont even speak the language. I know it a comedy, but there are some real stakes here. 

[HazelEyes4325]

16 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Yeah thats an interesting thing to deal with. I've heard stories about people that have lived in the US almost their entire lives, are very "American" and dont even remember the country they were born in, maybe dont even know they are undocumented, then find them themselves suddenly deported to a country they dont know where they dont even speak the language. I know it a comedy, but there are some real stakes here. 

I have a friend who was up for (and ultimately got) a high level job in the Federal Government.  He was in his 50s at the time and it was only during his background check that he found out he was a Hungarian citizen.  It happens.

But I think this is the problem the show is facing: there are real stakes here and they aren't afraid of taking them on.  But, at the same time, it is a comedy, so it needs to balance the seriousness and the humor.  I realize that Kal Penn is very sincere and earnest and I have faith that Schur is able to handle it, but I'm not sure the Penn/Schur combo can do it together.

[rhys]

Yep it's preachy but I think it's a story that needs telling. I hope they do a really deep dive into just how an immigrant can't go find a queue somewhere to sign a couple forms & voila, you're a citizen. The show touched on that with all the documents, but it really needs more details.

[Lovecat]

37 minutes ago, HazelEyes4325 said:

The lady with all the jobs--I thought that was a good gag, although I don't know how they can keep that going for the long run. 

Giselle (or Gisella?).  I thought that part was a hoot and a half!  I think her hustles are going to get more and more ridiculous, and I'm here for it 🙂

[futurechemist]

I want to like this show, but I'm on the fence.  It's hard to balance being a comedy, telling important stories, and being realistic. That last one is what was taking me out of the story, considering my spouse recently got citizenship (through marriage). In my personal experience, getting a green card is way, way harder than getting citizenship.

Young Moldovan guy - presumably he's in DACA. But there's no pathway from DACA to citizenship.

Old Moldovan guy - did he have a green card? Seems a stretch that if the government approved his green card years before, and he hasn't committed any crimes, ICE would randomly arrest him.

Grizelda - the "I work everywhere" thing was getting old by the end of the episode.

Rich siblings - if they have unlimited money, I'm sure they could hire a top tier immigration lawyer who would guide them through the process.

The citizenship test isn't actually that tough. Prove you have financial resources and haven't committed any crimes. Read, speak, write a few English sentences like "George Washington was the first president". And answer 7 out of 10 history/civics questions from a bank of 100 that the government gives you in advance to memorize.

[Wanda]

I never watch brand new shows because I don’t want to fall in love with something that will be cancelled, but Kal Penn and Mike Shurr gave me hope. I’m just afraid this show is too heavy handed for...how do I put this?....Tim Allen Fans?....and it won’t be given a full season to be fleshed out. Even Murphy Brown, with all the affection it had, was not renewed. We aren’t talking Chuck Lorre pull here, I don’t see this show succeeding.

Edited September 27, 2019 by Wanda
Kal not Karl

[Empress1]

I have a crush on Kal Penn so I was already going to try this (and I give new shows two episodes unless I really hate the pilot off the bat). I knew the premise was "American helps immigrants become citizens" but I didn't realize he was a disgraced councilman trying to rebuild. I like that angle.

The crazy rich Asians were the ones where I thought "Why are you here?" because like @futurechemist, I wondered why they didn't hire a top immigration lawyer. I really like the one with all the jobs but they're going to need to nip that in the bud fast. I also really like Kal Penn's sister because I think she'll provide a nice balance. 

Edited September 27, 2019 by Empress1

[sara416]

When Kal Penn's character comes bursting into his sister's apartment after he first meets the group, his sister is reading a website on her tablet. 99% sure that it was these forums. Maybe someone more tech savvy than me could go back and get a screen grab of it!

[Corgi-ears]

3 hours ago, sara416 said:

When Kal Penn's character comes bursting into his sister's apartment after he first meets the group, his sister is reading a website on her tablet. 99% sure that it was these forums.

I don't think so? I don't see the rainbow TV screen logo.

While we're paused on this shot, I rather like the framed print on her wall, though I'm not sure why it's hung so low.

(Thank you. This has been your episode of Wall Hanging Cop.)

Edited September 28, 2019 by Corgi-ears

[North of Eden]

The most amusing thing was the blatant Alexandria Ocasio Cortez stand in to set up a "Sam and Diane" will they or won't they.

Edited September 28, 2019 by North of Eden

[bros402]

I liked this pilot. Kal Penn was fun

[biakbiak]

This felt like a civics lesson for an 8 year old. I like the cast so will watch a few more episodes but I hope it gets funnier.

[retrograde]

I like the conceit but found the pilot pretty lackluster. I agree with this AV Club review that Kal Penn doesn't have the chops to pull off "charming jerk." The dialogue was also trite all around and there also just weren't many funny jokes.

I'll give it another try -- pilots often suck -- but I hope there's way less of the main character and way more of the others in the future. Some of the ensemble have promise but none of those characters were fleshed out.

[bros402]

1 hour ago, retrograde said:

I like the conceit but found the pilot pretty lackluster. I agree with this AV Club review that Kal Penn doesn't have the chops to pull off "charming jerk." The dialogue was also trite all around and there also just weren't many funny jokes.

I'll give it another try -- pilots often suck -- but I hope there's way less of the main character and way more of the others in the future. Some of the ensemble have promise but none of those characters were fleshed out.

He more feels like a nice guy who woke up on the wrong side of the bed than a Jeff Winger

[mertensia]

The older Moldovan was Peggy in those Discover card commercials! 

It held my interest for the half-hour. I'll tune again.

[marketdoctor]

I read somewhere that this was going to be more political than The Good Place.  

That said, I *loved* the Bill Nye cameo, and I laughed more than I should have at the rich sister with "do you have recycling?  These are used." with the money.

Usually it's tough for very silly shows to be political, because politics tries to be grounded in reality.  Now, though, it feels like really goofball and a message aren't as exclusive as they used to be.

The joke of a well-educated man in another country doing a lower-skill job in this one was done on The Big Bang Theory, and yes, I'm aware that it's an exaggeration, but not baseless.

[Annber03]

On 9/27/2019 at 11:18 AM, rhys said:

Yep it's preachy but I think it's a story that needs telling. I hope they do a really deep dive into just how an immigrant can't go find a queue somewhere to sign a couple forms & voila, you're a citizen. The show touched on that with all the documents, but it really needs more details.

This. I'm all for them really delving into the process involved, and showing just how complex and difficult it can be. It'd be interesting to see how these guys handle those steps forward or back as they work through this.

I really liked this. Some very funny moments throughout, and the group seems like a lot of fun. It reminds me a bit of "Community" in some ways, and that's a plus in my book. I really love the relationship between Garrett and Mal, and the scene with Garrett and Hakim in the car was rather sweet. I especially liked them bonding over jet skis :D. And I like the councilwoman, too. 

Yeah. I'm in on this one, too. I'm curious to see where they'll go with this.

"Lying about your credentials and putting your own happiness above other people really is one of the most American things you can do."

"Don't send pictures of your weiner to other people, especially if your name is Weiner!" 

*In response to asking about Benjamin Franklin* "He flew a kite in a storm and that was smart...for some reason..."

[peachmangosteen]

I liked this a lot and I suspect I'll like it more and more with each ep. But unfortunately I'm with the poster upthread that said they don't see this succeeding.

[Darian]

On 9/27/2019 at 12:22 PM, Lovecat said:

Giselle (or Gisella?).  I thought that part was a hoot and a half!  I think her hustles are going to get more and more ridiculous, and I'm here for it 🙂

I love her. For a beat, like I forgot it was a sitcom for a sec, I did an  "oh, come on." But I went with it. Then, though, it occurred to  me that, funny or not, it reflects an exaggerated reality. It's not just that people and often undocumented people, are working several jobs, but also that a lot of it these days is gig-based. So, yeah, she should be picking up a shift here, and there, and being on call for this or that. I didn't need to think it through; it was just funny. But when I did, it's also clever. 

[piccadilly83]

On 9/27/2019 at 9:16 AM, HazelEyes4325 said:

I have a friend who was up for (and ultimately got) a high level job in the Federal Government.  He was in his 50s at the time and it was only during his background check that he found out he was a Hungarian citizen.  It happens.

I get that he was a Hungarian citizen, but was he not also an American citizen or legal resident? How did he get onto the payroll of his jobs before hand if he didn't have a social security number or green card? I guess, I'm just confused as to how he didn't know his US residency status until the age of 50. Sorry if this is too personal, I'm just curious.

RE the show:

I think my favorite lines came from the rich Asian dude. "Oh my god, do you think that's a lot of money?" I just loved his incidental rudeness.

Edited October 11, 2019 by piccadilly83