Mythic Quest avoids Indian-American clichés with Danny Pudi's character

The A.V. Club

"The only major facts we know about (Pudi's character) Brad so far are his job title and that, like Pudi, he is half Indian, half Polish," says Saloni Gajjar. "Mythic Quest doesn’t use his ethnicity as a tightrope for him to walk on. He’s part-Indian but thankfully, no one has yet cracked an 'Is he not an engineer?' joke, even on a show set in the gaming and tech world, and the topic of arranged marriages is nowhere to be seen. The show is effortless in its inclusivity, unlike United States Of Al, the latest CBS sitcom from Chuck Lorre, which overtly stereotypes the Afghani immigrant community it is attempting to represent with banal jokes and a weak accent. Despite Kunal Nayyar’s best efforts, his character Rajesh Koothrappali in Lorre’s Big Bang Theory remained in a particularly hackneyed mold throughout the show’s long run. Brad’s scheming ways and assertiveness might not be entirely relatable, but along with other notable characters like Cece Parekh in New Girl, Emet Kamala-Sweetzer in I Feel Bad, Devi Vishwakumar in Never Have I Ever, and Kim Laghari in Special, he’s another step away from the oft-clichéd Indian American portrayals in TV comedies."