TV: Why is 'Outsourced' still on the schedule?

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There are two aspects of the NBC sitcom "Outsourced" that defy rational explanation.

First, that a show that trades so freely on ethnic stereotypes could air on an American broadcast network in the 21st century.

And, second, that a show this bad with ratings this anemic could still be on that network's schedule more than four months after it premiered.

"Outsourced" revolves around Todd Dempsey (Ben Rappaport), an employee of Mid-American Novelties who is sent to India to manage the company's customer-service center.

In the first episode, there were alleged jokes about holy cows, spicy food that sends you running for the bathroom, Sikh headdresses and Indian names. One of the Indian characters is named Manmeet.

Subsequent episodes have dealt with arranged marriages, the smells in India's streets, the misogyny of Indian culture and hunger and poverty — because hunger and poverty are hilarious.

There are as many jokes about Americans as there are about Indians. But this is not clever parody — it's ham-handed, low-brow comedy.

Dempsey is a nice guy who's not seen for the insensitive oaf that he is. Unlike, for example, the politically incorrect Michael Scott (Steve Carell) of "The Office." Or even Archie Bunker of "All in the Family."

Executive producer Robert Borden rejected the notion that "Outsourced" trades in stereotypes.

"I think where we approach this is certainly not a mean-spirited place," he insisted.

But that's irrelevant. You don't have to be mean-spirited to employ stereotypes, to be racist.

And having a diverse cast and a diverse writing staff doesn't make you immune to being either. Or both.

Borden was clearly misstating facts when he added, "We're not going to be wallowing in that kind of stuff that you're insinuating."

"Outsourced" has not only wallowed in "that kind of stuff," it has reveled in it.

The bottom line is that "Outsourced" just isn't funny. There are few shows more offensive than "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" or "South Park," yet they're often hilarious. Which makes up for a lot.

"Outsourced" is one long string of bad jokes.

And the ratings are terrible. Not only does it trail far behind "CSI" and "Grey's Anatomy," but it loses a big chunk of the audience from the show that precedes it on NBC, "The Office."

Yet it remains on NBC's schedule. It will be part of the network's three-hour, six-sitcom lineup that debuts Thursday, Jan. 20, moving to 9:30 p.m. MT.

And that's the only plausible explanation for the continued existence of "Outsourced": NBC doesn't have anything to replace it with.

More's the pity.

Scott D. Pierce's column appears Mondays and Fridays in The Mix. He can be reached at spierce@sltrib.com or 801-257-8603.