‘The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh’ Explores Immigrant Struggles With Polar Opposite Neighborhood Family
- Starring Naveen Andrews and Sindhu Vee, the eight, half-hour episode series is inspired by the personal experiences of Vijal Patel, who was previously a writer on “Black-ish.”
British-American actor Naveen Andrews and U.K.-based comedian, writer and actor Sindhu Vee will star in “The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh,” which follows the Pradeep family and the humorous events of their first few months after moving to America from India. The immigrant comedy which has been commissioned by Amazon Freevee is inspired by the personal experiences of Vijal Patel, who was previously a writer on “Black-ish,” according to a company press release.
The eight, half-hour episode series is told “through hilarious (and often conflicting) flashbacks from an interrogation room,” the press release said, “when the Pradeeps quickly find themselves embroiled —romantically, personally, and professionally — with a polar-opposite neighborhood family, leading to a predicament with many surprising twists.”
In a statement, Patel said “the show is from a very personal place, and explores the many facets of the immigrant struggle. As my parents say, the pain got funnier over time—like wine.” He will write the series and serve as showrunner and executive producer. Sara Gilbert, Mandy Summers, and Tom Werner are executive producers. Michael Showalter of Semi-Formal Productions is also an executive producer and will direct the pilot.
The series also stars Megan Hilty, Sahana Srinivasan, Arjun Sriram, Ashwin Sakthivel, Ethan Suplee and Nicholas Hamilton as series regular, while Pete Holmes and Romy Rosemont will recur.
Lauren Anderson, head of AVOD original content and programming at Amazon Studios, said the series “shines a comedic light on the centuries-old, universally relatable first-generation experience.” She said the studio is “looking forward to sharing Vijal’s personally inspired story—filled with heart, humility, and humor—with the Freevee audience.”
The series also stars Megan Hilty, Sahana Srinivasan, Arjun Sriram, Ashwin Sakthivel, Ethan Suplee and Nicholas Hamilton as series regular, while Pete Holmes and Romy Rosemont will recur.
Andrews will play Mahesh Pradeep, the patriarch of the Pradeep family. A brilliant engineer who uprooted his family to America for a business opportunity. Vee will be seen as Sudha Pradeep, the matriarch of the Pradeep family, described as being “intelligent and self-assured,” but a feud with her neighbors “is about to test her in new ways.”
Srinivasan will essay the role of Bhanu Pradeep, a “rebellious teen trying to get out from under her mother’s thumb; Arjun Sriram is Kamal Pradeep, “an epic mama’s boy, he loves following rules and believes narcs are just heroes who tell the truth”; and Sakthivel is Vinod Pradeep, who “loves all things American and is excited for their new life in Pittsburgh.”