CALL OF MUMBAI

[5.00 - French Time] US networks are making their pilot shopping spree these days, probably looking for potential replacements to some of the "high-concept wonders" they launched this season. Yesterday NBC picked up a pilot for a comedy TV remake of the movie Outsourced.

Outsourced (2006), directed by John Jeffcoat and written by George Wing and John Jeffcoat, was about a novelty products salesman (Josh Hamilton) who has to train his replacement in India after his entire department is outsourced.

NBC developed a first attempt to transform the film into a sitcom during the 2007-2008 season with Wing and Jeffcoat adapting their own work, and Ken Kwapis (The Office US) as director (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117973592.html?categoryid=1300&cs=1). The project didn't make the cut for a pilot order then but this time the pilot will be directed by Kwapis and written by Robert Borden (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i662cd5cc93e733431501189bde18c314) .

In the UK, ITV aired last may an hilarious sitcom titled Mumbai Calling, whose concept shares some similarities with Outsourced. It starred Sanjeev Bhaskar (Goodness Gracious Me, The Kumars at N°42) as Kenny Gubta, a British Indian accountant born in Wembley and sent to Teknobable, a Mumbai call center, by his boss to make it more profitable. Kenny worked with Dev Raja (the excellent Nitin Ganatra - one of the reasons to watch EastEnders), who prefered chasing his female staff, and no-nonsense Teri Johnson (Daisy Beaumont), an assessor from London headquarters. The series, shown on ITV two years after the original pilot (2007), was entirely shot in India with a substantial cast of Indian actors and is an unsung gem.

Home of The US version of The Office and of Parks and Recreation, NBC seems to like office comedies (eh, they gave us the late night show war...) What network will try an American version of The Thick of it?

See also:

http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2009/06/have-faith-in-itv.html