Is NBC's comedy show 'Sunnyside' a subtle attempt by Kal Penn to tackle immigration in new light?
A new comedy show is on the brink of release! Kal Penn is all set to wear his socio-political hat in NBC's 'Sunnyside', a series that revolves around the lead character Garrett Modi, the youngest New York City Councilman ever who was living the American Dream but falls down the rabbit hole amidst the power and glamour of politics.
Not only does Penn star in the show, but also penned down the pilot and executive produced it along with writer-producer Matt Murray, Michael Schur, David Miner, and Dan Spilo. The "patriotic comedy" is majorly Penn's brainchild as even the lead character's name is etched after Penn's birth name Kalpen Suresh Modi.
Shedding light on how the idea for his dream project was roughed out, he named the two things he loved: "I love making people laugh, comedy is my first love, and I love America." During the show’s panel presentation at the summer TCA press tour, he also said, "We want to tell a bizarre grounded story in a way that audiences can identify and laugh with so we’re hoping this is the half-hour we can tune out the rest of the world and laugh with these hilarious people."
The series seems apt for Penn, who doesn't shy away from voicing his political beliefs. The 42-year-old actor was an advocate for Barack Obama's presidential campaign in 2007-08 and an active member of Obama's National Arts Policy Committee. Moreover, in early 2009, Penn accepted the position of Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement in the Obama administration.
However, at the press meet, the actor said the experience did not have an impact on the show. "I kind of keep those things separately. I loved DC but my first love was always acting and comedy," he said.
Blending immigration with humor, the show has tried to "keep it real" by bringing a cast of either an immigrant themselves or a child of an immigrant, with the exception of one person. "We’re getting real stories in the process… We’re trying to tell a bunch of different stories around the subject. It’s not one specific thing to everyone," Murray said.
The lead character played by Kal Penn draws inspiration from a certain political figure. Murray revealed that Anthony Weiner was the prime focus while sketching out the character. The former Democratic congressman won seven terms as a Democrat from January 1999 until June 2011, never receiving less than 60% of the vote.
Weiner resigned from Congress in June 2011 after a sexually suggestive photo sent by him leaked on Twitter. Highlighting the fact, Murray said, "Not the creepy part. Early Weiner."
“We thought about a guy who got infatuated with the spotlight, liked all the trappings of power but didn’t want to get his hands dirty and do the work of being a politician,” Murray continued. "The guy who coasts on that for a long time and then has a downfall and realizes he has no skills to do anything else. That was the area we were going for.”
The show is peppered with Penn's personal experiences and of the other members of the cast. "The story we wanted to tell, the story I wanted to tell, is about the greatness of first-generation immigrants [and] about the focus and discipline, the hard work [and] rigorous honesty that goes with coming here and grabbing ahold of the American dream," co-creator Chuck Lorre said at the panel.
Not only is 'Sunnyside' a lighthearted watch, but also an innovative way to tackle immigration in a new light. The comedy series is all set to premiere on NBC every Thursday at 9.30 pm starting September 26.