The Papdits
Encyclopedia
The Papdits is a television show airing on CBS
's InnerTube service, premiering in 2007, satirizing a newly emigrated family from India
. The show features a father, mother, daughter, son, and grandmother, and is written and produced by writers from Da Ali G Show
.
("Crash").
The series was born at Fox Broadcasting Company
in late 2004 under the approval of Gail Berman
. In November of that year, Fox gave The Papdits a six-episode commitment. The episodes were produced but never aired because the show's strongest supporter, Berman, left Fox for Paramount.
In May 2005, CBS decided to pick up The Papdits either for CBS or UPN
. CBS eventually passed on the show, however, believing it to be too different for mainstream audiences.
The Papdits got one more chance a year later in 2006. On November 3, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
" (co-written by Hines) premiered in the United States. Due to the success of Borat, CBS launched a 20-minute pilot of The Papdits on its Innertube broadband network.
/reality television
, The Papdits documents a Kashmiri
family as a camera crew follows them as they travel across the United States, seeking a place to settle and trying to adapt to American culture. Gopi, the patriarch, has no doubt that the road along the way will be paved with gold, while his wife Ritsi tries to assimilate herself with the other American housewives.
The fictitious and clueless Papdits interact with "real" clueless Americans in true Borat style of trying to make everyone involved as uncomfortable as possible.
explained the significance of The Papdits as "It's the first time that, instead of just letting (a pilot die), we're putting something online with the intention that it could reside there and grow there." Although it was ready a few months prior, CBS waited until November to pair the online premiere up with the premiere of the similarly themed film Borat.
Verizon's V cast service also made The Papdits available to Verizon wireless subscribers.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's InnerTube service, premiering in 2007, satirizing a newly emigrated family from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The show features a father, mother, daughter, son, and grandmother, and is written and produced by writers from Da Ali G Show
Da Ali G Show
Da Ali G Show is the name of two related satirical TV series created by and starring British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen and featuring the character Ali G....
.
History
Ant Hines ("Da Ali G Show") was the writer and executive producer of The Papdits. Other executive producers included Sony and Bull's Eye Entertainment's Tom Nunan and Cathy SchulmanCathy Schulman
Cathy Schulman is an American film producer.A graduate of Yale University, Schulman's screen credits include Isn't She Great, Sidewalks of New York, Employee of the Month, Crash, The Illusionist, and Darfur Now...
("Crash").
The series was born at Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in late 2004 under the approval of Gail Berman
Gail Berman
Gail Berman is the former president of entertainment at Fox Broadcasting Company and the former president of Viacom's Paramount Pictures.She graduated from the University of Maryland in 1978...
. In November of that year, Fox gave The Papdits a six-episode commitment. The episodes were produced but never aired because the show's strongest supporter, Berman, left Fox for Paramount.
In May 2005, CBS decided to pick up The Papdits either for CBS or UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
. CBS eventually passed on the show, however, believing it to be too different for mainstream audiences.
The Papdits got one more chance a year later in 2006. On November 3, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, often referred to simply as Borat, is a 2006 mockumentary comedy film directed by Larry Charles and distributed by 20th Century Fox...
" (co-written by Hines) premiered in the United States. Due to the success of Borat, CBS launched a 20-minute pilot of The Papdits on its Innertube broadband network.
Story
A hybrid of mockumentaryMockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
/reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
, The Papdits documents a Kashmiri
Kashmiri people
The Kashmiri people are a Dardic linguistic group living in Kashmir Valley in Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and parts of the Pakistani territory of Azad Kashmir who speak the Kashmiri language...
family as a camera crew follows them as they travel across the United States, seeking a place to settle and trying to adapt to American culture. Gopi, the patriarch, has no doubt that the road along the way will be paved with gold, while his wife Ritsi tries to assimilate herself with the other American housewives.
The fictitious and clueless Papdits interact with "real" clueless Americans in true Borat style of trying to make everyone involved as uncomfortable as possible.
Multi-Platform Television
The Papdits is an important example of the recent phenomenon of multi-platform television. CBS Paramount Network TV Entertainment Group president Nancy TellemNancy Tellem
Nancy Tellem currently serves as Sr. Advisor to the CEO, CBS Corp. She is most recently the President of CBS Network Television Entertainment.-Legal/TV Career:...
explained the significance of The Papdits as "It's the first time that, instead of just letting (a pilot die), we're putting something online with the intention that it could reside there and grow there." Although it was ready a few months prior, CBS waited until November to pair the online premiere up with the premiere of the similarly themed film Borat.
Verizon's V cast service also made The Papdits available to Verizon wireless subscribers.