The APAHM Project Day 13-15: The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh

Series: The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh

Created By: Vijal Patel

Release: 2024

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime

Wanna Skip? Pick a Movie from APAHM Project 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020

Why It Made The List:

I'm always looking for more South and Southeast Asian American media and I was very excited to find this show while creating this year's lineup. The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh (TPOP) is a funny comedy that centers around a family immigrating from India to America, who are at risk of being deported due to an unsolved crime.

My Thoughts:

This show surprised me in many ways and it is always a huge relief when a title you took a chance on for The APAHM Project works out. TPOP could be called the Indian version of "Fresh Off the Boat" and in many ways, that comparison is justified. There's the optimistic dad, the reluctant mom, the nerdy kid, rebellious kid, and the one who has the easiest time assimilating (albeit still bullied for wearing glasses). But to reduce it to just a version of something that already exists, as if changing the ethnicity of the characters is the only notable difference, would be a huge disservice to TPOP. This show had its own unique story and plot, its own unique characters and sets of conflicts.

In the beginning, I too was drawing comparisons to FOB. And I think that is because the immigrant story can be similar across many families. The amounts of times I hear my own parents say "us too!" or "sounds like us" when meeting another immigrant family is a lot. The Pradeeps move from India to Pittsburgh for the patriarch's, Mahesh, rocket parts manufacturing company. His wife, Sudha, is a neurosurgeon who unfortunately, cannot get her license to practice approved in the States. They have an older son, Kamal (who people call "Camel") who is so stunned about the move and littered with phobias, he doesn't even speak once he arrives. Their daughter, Bhanu, is the rebellious teen who is concerned about boys and being cool. And then there is the youngest, Vinod, who is optimistic like his father and absolutely fascinated by mundane American things such as garbage trucks. We first meet the Pradeeps in an interrogation room (each episode is titled as an Interrogation Log) in the US Immigration and Naturalization office, where Dark Suit and Light Suit ask them to recount their story from the beginning.

At first, you have no idea what is really happening. Why are they being threatened to be deported? Upon their arrival to the States, the Pradeeps already encounter a lot of "typical" ignorance such as the mispronunciation of their names and blatant stereotyping like labeling Manesh as a t*rroist because he builds rocket parts and is Brown. By the end of the episode, we learn that their white, Christian neighbors have accused the Pradeeps of arson and burning down their house.

And this is how you know that this show is not like Fresh Off the Boat.

We will later learn that the neighbors, the Mills, are deeply intertwined with the Pradeeps. The wife, Janice, is Kamal's teacher (who he has a crush on). She is also in a petty battle with Sudha, who fills her idle time selling a nutritional supplement and competes with Janice for the most sales. Bhanu is making out and wanting to hook up with the Mills' son, Stu. They sell drugs and skip school. Janice thinks Bhanu is corrupting Stu and Sudha thinks it is Stu who is corrupting Bhanu. Bhanu eventually gets baptized so she can sleep with Stu and Janice even gives her a Bible in an attempt to teach her abstinence. Jimbo Mills, the father, seems to like the Pradeeps. He and Manesh get along and he coaches Vinod and Kamal in sports. But when Manesh accidentally injures a potential investor/friend of Jimbo, their relationship falters. It seems everyone is a suspect of arson, including the garbage man. But as Light Suit and Dark Suit continue their investigations, they learn that Janice cares less about who burned her house down and more about the Pradeeps being deported.

It's easy to label Janice Mills, more so than her husband and son, as a stereotypical racist "Karen." Some of her memorable sound bites include: "This goes out to all the girls who look like me. You Matter." That Bhanu should consider going by "Bonnie" to make it easier on everyone. "I don't even see color, to me, everyone's white." And how she's open to all cultures because she celebrates Margarita Mondays and Taco Tuesdays. Now all of these things sound ignorant at best and racist at worst. Playing devil's advocate, you could say Janice is just trying to keep Stu from being sexually immoral by removing Bhanu as temptation. But it is clear that Janice blames the Pradeeps for interfering with her perfect suburban lifestyle she has built.

Similar to FOB, Constance Wu's character Jessica, has a hard time making friends with her white neighbors. And I don't think it's a coincidence both the Huangs and the Pradeeps have a hard time with their white neighbors. As a race that has the privilege of not knowing what it feels like to be oppressed because of the color of their skin, they make for an ideal and stark foil to our families of color. Being the "most elite" ethnic group allows writers to make the most extreme and hyperbolic situations and remarks that can get the idea of otherness across quickly and clearly. In 30 minute television, it's just harder to nail nuance.

At the end of the day, I think a great takeaway message from TPOP is to show neighborly love. To our immigrant neighbors and those who are American citizens. Intermingling and understanding other people's customs and traditions is an important part to community. Sudha doesn't have to convert to Christianity, but she can respect that is how Janice likes to operate and that's where her motivations come from. Janice could learn to see the Pradeeps as her students rather than her foreign neighbors (in one episode, she purposely grades Kamal lower due to her feuding).

At the heart of this show, there is family. Manesh, like so many immigrants, just wants a better life for his family. Sudha is reluctant because not only does she miss home, but she misses the status she had in India. My grandfather, for example, was a highly skilled electrician in Hong Kong. When he came to America, they were lower on the totem pole and he was a grocer. It can be a huge blow to the ego because of the systematic racism and classism in America. The children either see it as exciting or a total drag or a mix of both. They also miss Indian cooking and their friends and way of life. When I interviewed for a scholarship in college, I was asked what I like to do in my spare time. I gave the very boring answer of spending time with my family. I further explained that when my family immigrated here, they had nothing. They knew no one. They only had each other to survive. And from that, a huge emphasis on family time and values was instilled in me. There is nothing more important in our lives than family. You cannot choose them, but you can choose how you spend your time with them. How you treat them. How you love them. The Pradeeps had a hard time making friends because they either were ostracized or they thought they were being ostracized. And while we can simply say they need to assimilate to survive, I don't think assimilating means erasure of your roots. I don't even think it means embracing the new country's cultures. I think it means understanding, accepting, and having the grace to acknowledge our differences without arguing which is right or wrong.

In Conclusion:

There are millions of immigrants in the United States. And some look like the Pradeeps, some look like the Huangs, but most look like neither. So even if networks or audiences only saw TPOP as another FOB, it's important for us to continue to tell the immigrant story through multiple angles. We just can't fit into one or two boxes of fictitious TV families. They can't represent us all.

I am sad to hear that TPOP was cancelled after one season. It left on a major cliffhanger!! But if you are looking for a feel-good and genuinely funny, light show, I recommend The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh. Thank you to Vijal Patel for sharing your immigrant story. I hope that other studios see the value in having a variety of immigrant stories. If we can have a variety of good versus evil stories, romance stories, and spin-offs of spin-offs, I think we can make room for more families that represent the majority of America.

Shout Out!

You may recognize the colorful and fun designs of Brightland, a line of oils, honey, and salt. But did you know its founder is a South Indian woman? Aishwarya Iyer learned her ancestors in Tamil Nadu were salt farmers. I won't summarize her beautiful symbolism for food, so I will just quote her here: "Not only did this deepen my connection between land and food, but it showed me how much beauty is in the details—whether it’s a grain of salt or a drop of oil. After all, Brightland is all about the little things: Heirloom olives, farm-fresh fruit, and beekeepers that go back generations. Because this is what makes a difference. This is what turns the mundane into the must-haves. My family taught me that everything has meaning. Colors are symbolic, flavors are sacred, and bringing purpose to everyday things makes them more beautiful—from a brushstroke that ignites an idea to a bite that transports you. Beauty can exist everywhere—especially on your plate."

As we all know, I feel food is the ultimate bridge and gateway to new cultures. I love how Iyer compares the simplicity of salt and oil, an essential to any cuisine's cooking, as being more symbolic than mundane. Available in 1,667 stores across the US, be sure to look for Brightland in your own local grocery store to support this AAPI-owned business or shop online!

If You Liked This, You Might Also Like:

Fresh off the Boat on Hulu

The Namesake on VOD

Tigertail on Netflix