One housekeeping note: there are a couple of questions within the piece which were asked by my TCA compatriot Bill Brioux, who has a great and appropriately-titled site called TV Feeds My Family. Poor Bill was forced to battle his way through the last half of the tour with an excruciating case of laryngitis, and he asked if – in lieu of trying to croak out all of his questions – he could piggyback on a couple of my interviews, so if you should happen to be one of the few people who reads both of us, let me assure you that any crossover between our pieces on “Outsourced” is totally authorized.

Bullz-Eye: You and I first met back in the summer, for the initial “Outsourced” panel. Are you nervous about being back amongst the critics?

Rizwan Manji: (Laughs) You know what? We’re very excited to be back. We’re glad that we’re still here and that we’re doing so well, so we’re very happy about that. Yeah, I think we’re a little bit more relaxed than we were in August. We were very nervous about what we were going to be asked, and we hadn’t done it before. Now, we’re sort of…we’ve gone to a bunch of different events now, so we’re a little bit calmer than we were in August.

BE: Plus, you guys are a hit now.

RM: Yes! We’re very excited about that!

BE: I liked the show from the get-go, actually. I used to work in a call center, so I had a natural affinity to the concept.

RM: So you’re the real Todd, I guess? (Laughs)

BE: Well, I did my best. In fact, I just spoke with your onscreen nemesis a few minutes ago.

RM: You did…? (Cuts eyes suspiciously around the room, then laughs)

BE: You guys really have some great chemistry together, a hero/villain dynamic or whatever you want to call it.

RM: Oh, thank you! Yeah, me and Ben, we have a tremendous time. We actually even live really close by each other, so we actually even see each other on the weekends. My daughter loves him, and whenever she sees him on TV, she’s always, like, “More Ben! More Ben!” (Laughs) She’s two, and that’s what she can come up with. You know, it’s…I’m so thankful that, as you said, the chemistry worked out, because we never auditioned together. It was one of those things where I found out really late in the game, because, as I think I might’ve mentioned to you in the summer, I auditioned for a different part. So when we actually met was the first time we were reading it for the network, and we were, like, “Oh, my God, this works!” So it could’ve gone horribly wrong, or it could’ve been this, and I’m so happy that we have a little bit of chemistry.

BE: Is it fun getting to play slimy? And I mean that in the best possible way, of course.

RM: (Laughs) You know, it’s so cathartic, I guess, because I get to say the meanest things. My wife always says, “Don’t bring that home with you!” Sometimes I get home and I’m using words that I’ve used on the set. But it’s a lot of fun. Rajiv gets to say the craziest things.

BE: Speaking of crazy things, all of us critics got a lovely Halloween gift from the show: our very own remote-controlled tarantula, a la the one Rajiv destroyed on the show. Were you fortunate enough to get your own? Because my daughter loves ours.

RM: I was not! Actually, we only had six of them on set, and they said, “If we ruin all six of them, the shot is done.” Luckily, we got it on the last take, because I had actually demolished all six of them by the end of that thing. So, no, I did not get one to take home…but now that I know you got one, I’m going to ask for one! (Laughs) I was actually out in Phoenix yesterday doing a press event, and they were giving out my favorite novelty, the toilet-bowl mug. That was great. The novelties are becoming characters on their own!

BE: Now that you’ve been working together for a few months now, who’s the easiest to make laugh and who’s the hardest?

RM: The easiest, I would probably say, are Ben and Anisha…Todd and Madhuri. They’re the easiest to break up. The one who pulls the most pranks is Parvesh, who plays Gupta. Definitely. He’s constantly doing crazy things to us on and off the set. There’s a video floating around where he’s taking a close-up video of the inside of my nose. So, yeah, he does crazy things like that.

BE: Where does Diedrich Bader fall in the ranks?

RM: Diedrich, he’s a prankster, but you’d be surprised: he’s very professional on set. He does lighten up at some points, and he’s so funny when you see him on TV, but he’s actually very, very professional. A joy to work with, but very professional.

BE: They showed us a little clip today of the upcoming Bollywood sequence.

RM: By far my favorite episode, and I’m so glad it’s on January 20th, when we move to 10:30 PM. You saw the little clip of the dancing, but you don’t actually hear the singing. Three of us sing, but only one of us can actually sing, so…

(At this point, Parvesh Cheena strolls up and joins the conversation.)

RM: I was just talking about you. We’re talking about how awful you are in the next episode.

Parvesh Cheena: Oh, shut up! You Canadians… (Referring to Manji, who is from Toronto, ON) …don’t know hell.

RM: (Laughs) So, yeah, there’s the Bollywood dance sequence, and then there’s the singing, so…

PC: Riz sings, too, by the way.

RM: I won’t tell you if I’m one of the good ones or not. I might be the terrible one.

PC: Let’s just say it’s a song by an ‘80s pop icon who’s seen better days since leaving her husband, Bobby.

RM: Rajiv clearly is a fan of ‘80s music.

PC: (Laughs) And you know that you sing in this episode (we’re getting ready to film), too?

RM: Yeah, there’s an episode that we’re about to shoot, and…I don’t know how much I can say!

PC: You can’t say anything. But I can! You sing…

RM: (Interrupts) I won’t tell you why, but I actually sing another song.

PC: From the ‘70s.

RM: It’s great.

Bill Brioux: Was there extra rehearsal involved for the Bollywood episode?

PC: Yes! We were, like, “Glee” meets “The Sing-Off.” (Laughs) Seriously! We had to lay down tracks…and I think I now have the street cred where I say can “lay down tracks”…Anisha and I and Ben. We had choreography. The choreographer, Fred Tallaksen, is one of Madonna’s choreographers from two tours, and I’m glad I didn’t learn that until the last day. Otherwise, I would’ve freaked out. I just thought, like, “Okay, I’ll do it. I’m sweating, but I’ll do it.” And then we had to film the rest of the episode, too, so we’d be filming something, table read, going to the music studio to record, coming back for dance rehearsal in this dungeon basement at CBS Radford, and then coming back to film.

RM: And the director of that episode (John Scott) has directed episodes of “Glee,” so it really just looks amazing. It’s the perfect episode to inaugurate that 10:30 timeslot.

PC: It really is. We’re really glad that they have that episode as the first one back, as a push. And to show that Anisha, who’s our quiet one, has a Broadway baby voice…? It’s a blessing.

BB: Can you speak to what the key Bollywood moves are?

PC: A lot of hips, and every so often a turn. That’s all you need to do! Hip, hip, turn. Sometimes some arms, but I wanted to keep it to the lower body for you guys.

RM: I feel like one day Rajiv needs to do some Bollywood dancing. (Laughs)

PC: You’ve got some moves.

RM: I feel like Rajiv would be awesome!

BE: So you’ve obviously got a great episode to kick off your new location, but are you guys excited or feeling tentative about the new 10:30 timeslot?

PC: No, I love it. The fact that we got to follow “The Office” before, and now we’re following “30 Rock”…? We can’t lose.

RM: And I think it’s one of those things where, because the entire night is this event now, a 3-hour comedy block, and there’s a lot of publicity for the three hours of comedy on NBC, there’s a lot of buzz about it. At the 9:30 timeslot, we had built our fanbase, and people are really obsessed with the show and love it, so I feel like they’re going to move with us to 10:30. I think our crowd is…

PC: Our fans have been really loyal and supportive, and…where have we gone? We’ve gone to New York together, and I went back to Chicago, where I’m from, and it’s just been awesome the amount of people who’re watching. Kids, even. Parents. And that’s from every ethnic group, let alone the Indian community. We’ve been so grateful to everyone.

BE: So when you guys became a hit, who was the first person to yell, “Suck it, critics”?

PC: Rizwan!

RM: (Lowers head) Oh, my God…

PC: But only because Rizwan says “suck it” a lot, generally. I’m just thinking, like, “It must be him.” He’s said to everyone at one time or another. (Laughs) But, no, we understand what purpose a pilot serves. It’s an introduction. And we were, fairly or not, under the microscope a lot more because we are the first show with a predominantly South Asian cast in America.

RM: And to the critics’ credit, there were several articles written after about the fifth or sixth episode…after the Bolloween episode, I believe…where they were saying, like, “You know what? I’m really sorry that I said all this, because I’ve changed my tune, and I just think it’s not everything I thought it was based on the clips that I was seeing at the previous TCA tour.” So to their credit, some of them took it back. And you know what? There are still some people harping about the stereotypes and all that stuff, but I feel like we’ve addressed that. And we’re so not that show.

PC: No one ever makes a problem out of, “Oh, that show about the lower income white family living in the trailer.” It’s a stereotype…or, rather, an archetype…and…

(At this moment, Anisha Nagarajan suddenly pops her head in between Manji and Cheena.)

PC: And here’s our Bollywood baby right now! Anisha, come talk to the fine gentleman!

Anisha Nagarajan: Hello!

PC: We were just talking about how…he asked the question, “Who was the first person to say ‘suck it’ to the critics?” And I said it was you.

AN: (Horrified) It was…?

PC: No, no, it wasn’t.

RM: I don’t think he believes it, anyway.

BE: I don’t think anyone could believe that.

PC: She’s too nice! I felt bad even saying that. I just imagined her starting to cry. (Laughs)

BE: So tell me about your part in the Bollywood episode.

PC: She’s my back-up dancer.

AN: (Laughs) I start out that way. But then I kind of find my voice in the episode. Let’s just say that.

BE: Was it nice to finally get the chance to use it?

AN: Yes! (Laughs) That’s for sure!

PC: And it’s an amazing voice that we’re glad we get to share with everyone, too.

AN: And his voice is really great in the episode, too. He sings an amazing song that you’ll see.

PC: We do pimp Anisha out wherever we go to sing, so now that it’s actually going to be on national television, it makes us all so happy that she’s not in “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.” We keep her safe. That was her back-up! If she’d done “Spider-Man,” she wouldn’t be here with us. She’d be on Broadway, soaring over people’s heads.

BE: Or in the hospital!

PC: (Mock horror) No, Anisha! I will keep you safe!

AN: (Laughs) I saw the show when I was in New York over the winter holidays, and it looks like it’s really…as my mom said, it looks like it’s finding its eight legs.

PC: It just got pushed again, though. To a March opening.

AN: Yeah, I saw that. But what I saw of it, they had no faux pas, no malfunctions. It was really well done.

PC: And Glenn Beck thought it was really good, too.

AN: I saw that!

RM: Well, if Glenn Beck liked it, let’s all rush out and see it! (Laughs)

PC: Rizwan is a big Fox News fan.

RM: Well, Rajiv is, anyway! (Laughs)

BE: What were you going to be doing in “Spider-Man”?

AC: Well, I actually did all the workshops, and the part I was playing in the workshops was the villainess part, Arachnae. But that was in the workshops. I was actually cast as an understudy for the featured ensemble of the show. Given the circumstances, though, I don’t know if that would’ve actually happened, or if I would’ve played the part, or what is going on, but…

PC: All right, she’s being very modest, but I’m going to say it: she was called by them about her availability to maybe come back in the show. So she’s being very modest and humble.

RM: Yeah, it’s a lot bigger part than she’s letting on.

PC: And I’ll also let you in on some news: Riz and I are in talks to play Doctor Octopus and The Lizard. Yes, we are a three-for-one package. I will be playing Doctor Octopus, because I’m very handsy, and Riz will be playing The Lizard because he’s just slimy.

RM: Oh, man!

PC: Sorry, I meant “reptilian.”

RM: I like that better.

BE: You’d think I hadn’t already called you “slimy” earlier in the interview.

PC: (Bursts out laughing)

RM: I can take it!

BE: So are you guys happy with the way the show is evolving?

PC: Yes.

AC: Yes!

RM: Absolutely!

PC: We get creative input, we get to improvise, we get to play…we pitch ideas. I don’t know if you know this, but there’s one scene where, like, Rizwan slapped me twice…? We just pitched it, like, “If Rizwan got on a power trip, this is what he’d do.”

AC: At this point, I think you’ve been slapped by every character in the show…including me!

PC: I think I have. Now, this slap didn’t make it.

RM: They cut it from the show. They said it was a little…

PC: Too sick for the holidays. But I do know that the working title for one of the upcoming episodes is “The Slap.”

RM: It is not!

PC: I think it is!

RM: I just enjoyed it because for seven takes I got to slap him really hard in the face. So I didn’t even care that it didn’t make the final cut. I just got to slap you…

PC: It was a stage slap.

RM: Let’s just do it.

(Rizwan slaps Parv hard enough that it is very much audible on the recording.)

PC: Ow!

BE: Did that hurt?

PC: No. (Bursts into mock sobbing)

RM: (Starts laughing)

PC: That’s stage training for you.

BE: I’m going to start wrapping up here, but, Parv, I mentioned to Rizwan that I used to work in a call center, which is why I had a natural affinity to the show right off the bat.

PC: You know, I was a box office ticket agent, and we’d have to cold-call our subscribers…like, people who are paying high-end Chicago Shakespeare theater subscriptions…and ask, “Could you give $10?” “NO! How dare you call me?” I’m, like, “Ma’am, the upstairs studio is named after you. I thought maybe we could hit you up for ten bucks!”

BE: Lastly, for all of you, where would you like to see “Outsourced” go in the future, either for your character or just in general?

PC: I really have been pleased with how we’ve been leaving the call center for a lot of episodes. One of our upcoming ones is a full-on train. We built a whole train station and a moving train, and we employed 250 background artists. I love seeing that. I love seeing more of where we go to, like, Riz’s home, and the personal relationships, too. And Madhuri…

AC: Madhuri may or may not have a special twist during the Valentine’s Day episode. (Laughs) So stay tuned!

PC: It’s very exciting!

RM: Yeah, I think my favorite part about what’s developing in the show is you finding out the background of the call center workers and…just scenes that are not at the call center but, as he said, at people’s houses, or just meeting different characters that are relationships, like her grandmother and (to Parv) your mom and my fiancée. These are people who we’re going to meet.

PC: I forgot!

RM: What?

PC: I completely forgot about the episode with my mom! (Laughs)

BE: I’ve kind of likened the evolution of “Outsourced” to that of “Cougar Town,” in that it started with a simple-to-summarize concept but soon expanded beyond that as we learn more about the characters in the ensemble.

RM: Yes!

PC: I agree. That’s a very good analogy.

Bullz-Eye: I was actually a fan of the show as soon as I heard about the concept: I used to work in a call center myself.

Ben Rappaport: (Laughs) That’s so great!

BE: Did you have any call center experience yourself?

BR: I did not! My aunt works in a call center, but that’s it. I knew nothing about them…aside from, y’know, occasionally contacting one. (Laughs) But, you know, I didn’t know what was behind them, what was on the other end of that phone. It’s an office, and they have their own office politics and culture there.

BE: When the pilot came out, I know a lot of people kind of bashed it, but how do you think the show has evolved since then?

BR: I think it’s evolved big time! I mean, you know, the term “outsourced” was a way for us to get to India, and now I think everybody’s gotten to know our characters and the relationships and the dynamics. It’s stories about what’s happening between these characters. It’s not political. There’s no agenda there. It’s not sarcastic in any way. We’re just telling a story of people in India.

BE: I was impressed with the direction that it took as far as your romantic storyline. I didn’t expect you to hook up with either of your potential romantic interests quite as quickly as you did.

BR: (Laughs) It was kind of quick, wasn’t it?

BE: Yeah. It’s not bad. It was just surprising.

BR: Yeah, but while it was quick, I think there’s still lots of places to go with it. I mean, I think part of the story might be that it was too quick.

BE: I considered that. Just how long-term is the relationship going to be if they’re willing to jump into the physical side of it that quickly?

BR: (Grins) My point exactly! So we’ll see. We have a long way to go, in terms of fleshing out that whole situation.

BE: Were you surprised that it became so popular right out of the box? I mean, granted, it’s a premise that I could see viewers embracing despite the critics not really loving it…

BR: I think so, too. I wasn’t necessarily surprised that people embraced it, because I really believed in it when I signed on. I mean, when I read the script, I just laughed out loud. Like, just true gut laughter. There’s a lot of time where it’s polite laughter, but it’s just true, honest laughter. And I think it’s…you know, we’re in a place now where we’re able to watch a TV show that takes place in a different country, about a completely different culture, and still accept it into our homes every week and relate to it.

BE: It’s nice that your character is still able to have interaction with people in the States through the wonder of Skype…or some equivalent thereof. Are those weird scenes to play?

BR: The Skype scenes? Those are funny, because we’re just doing it to a blank screen, and then they superimpose it. But what’s great about it is that we have very generous actors on our show, so usually the actor will be in the room with you, reading the other text so that you’re not having to pretend to hear them or something. It makes it a lot easier.

BE: How is the camaraderie between the cast?

BR: It’s fantastic.

BE: It seemed pretty solid from the pilot.

BR: It was, and since then it’s grown even more. I mean, we’re family. It’s like going to summer camp every single day when you’re going to work. (Laughs) I wish I were joking, but I’m not! We hang out together outside of work, and we live close by to each other. I know a lot of casts that don’t quite bond like we do, but the way I feel is that if we’re having fun, then the audience will have fun watching us have fun.

BE: Can you speak to a little bit on how the rest of the season is going to go?

BR: Well, you know, they don’t… (Hesitates) I can tell you a couple of episodes that are coming up. Our first episode coming back next week, it’s January 20th and it’s at 10:30 PM, which is our new timeslot, after “30 Rock” now on Thursdays. That one starts off with a big Bollywood dance number.

BE: Yeah, actually, they showed us a clip of that today between sessions.

BR: Yeah, there’s a little clip that they just released on the internet today, and there’s a lot of stuff going on there. I get to play guitar, Anisha (Nagarajan) gets to sing, you see Parv (Cheena) dance…it’s a big way to start, so I’m really excited about that.

BE: I’m impressed that you guys waited this long to actually try something Bollywood-esque. I presume that was a conscious decision not to dive headlong into it.

BR: Oh, yeah. Why throw it all out there at the beginning? Might as well draw it all out and save the best for last.

BE: Are there any guest stars upcoming that you’re aware of?

BR: Not that I’m aware of, no. They don’t really tell us that kind of stuff as of yet.

BE: You brought up the new timeslot. How do you guys feel about that? A little skittish, I’d guess.

BR: Well, you know, it’s not really…I don’t think it’s that bad. I mean, we used to follow “The Office,” and now we follow “30 Rock.” And “30 Rock” is on par with “The Office” in terms of the quality and the people who watch it. It was an honor to follow “The Office,” and it’s an honor to follow “30 Rock,” so we’re happy. And I think this three-hour comedy block is really cool, and I think it’s a unique…you know, people haven’t tried comedy in this hour for, like, what, 15 years or something like that? And I think our show is the show to pioneer or experiment with that, because our show is such a new idea, and that timeslot is such a new idea. Hopefully, it’ll work out.

And on that note…

1. Bravo’s “Platinum Hit” session

You’ve hopefully already read my open letter to Ms. DioGuardi about my disappointment with the way she handled the inevitable question about her departure from “American Idol,” but that wasn’t the only part about the panel that grated on my nerves. One of the other judges on this songwriting-competition series is Jewel, and…okay, first of all, let me acknowledge that I’m not really a Jewel fan and under threat of death wouldn’t be able to come up with a more recent Jewel song than 2001’s “Standing Still,” but even when it comes to artists I do actively like, I don’t enjoy it when they slip into braggadocio. After Jewel dropped these lines during the panel…

* “I was talking to Steven Spielberg…”

* “I bought my house from all my hits.”

* “Bob Dylan took me under his wing when I was about 20. My first record was considered a failure, but he liked it and he was like, ‘Don’t sell out, don’t change, don’t start doing grunge, just do what you do, stay on the road, stay solo acoustic.’ And I did because he believed in me. And Neil Young was the same way.”

…I pretty much tuned out. I’m sure Jewel’s a very talented songwriter, but as I walked away from the panel, it was more with the feeling that she’s much more talented at namedropping.

2. Oxygen’s session for “The Glee Project.”

Actually, I couldn’t tell you a thing that was said during the session. I was too busy looking at the mike girls – they bring you the microphones to ask questions, then take them to the next person when you’re done – who were dressed in cheerleader outfits for the panel. Yeah, it’s definitely time for me to get home to my wife…

3. Keith David talking about the development of his awesome voice during the panel for “The Cape.”

“I was always a second tenor,” said David. “I was never, you know, Alfalfa. But when about 13, and I was a singer before I was an actor, and all I could sing was loud, and certainly I came into this I came into that Alfalfa transition where all I could do…”

At this point, he switched into a wobbly voice… “is talk like that all the time.”

Back to his regular voice. “And then something began to switch, and now I sound like I sound, you know. I’m grateful to be here because I do get a chance to use all you know, in the first episode, I say I’m using my stage voice. Well, you know, I mean, that was one of the when I read the script, that was one of the funniest moments for me because it’s, like, when I’m auditioning for things, many times I’m told, ‘Can you tone that down a little bit? Can you bring that back?’ So this is one of the few times I’m not always told that. That’s kind of nice.”

4. The “Harry’s Law” panel discussing the age of the show’s star.

By the time someone asked about the fact that Kathy Bates is 60 years old, which is pretty elderly when you consider the demos that the broadcast networks tend to look for, she’d pretty well charmed most of the audience. First, she said she decided on doing the show because, in her character’s first scene, “she had her feet up on the desk, she was smoking pot, and watching ‘Bugs Bunny.’ After that, I was in.” Then, when asked if it was hard to sustain her character’s grumpiness, she admitted, “I come naturally to that. Not to be flip, but I can be a naturally grumpy person…and adjusting to the long hours on the set helped that right along!”

When the topic of age was addressed, which series creator David E. Kelley took it in stride. “Not many networks have come to me recently and said, ‘Can you give me a series with a 60-year-old lead?'” he admitted. “But I have to believe that, given the universe of 500-plus channels, there has to be room on the landscape for one. When we landed Kathy to play the character, (NBC) were beyond thrilled. You can say it’s one thing to have a 60-year-old lead. It’s quite another to have Kathy Bates as your lead. So they probably, with a grain of salt, said, ‘Gee, do we want a series with an older actor?’ But once it became Kathy, there was no hesitation whatsoever.”

5. The cast of “Community” offering a panel which was hilarious and yet defined the concept of “you had to be there.”

The only person not in attendance was Chevy Chase, who was described as being “very under the weather,’ but his co-stars more than made up for his absence. If I tried to tell you about it, though, you’d probably just stare blankly at me. Some of the funniness came from the giggling of the various panelists, some it involved one-liners which would require a lengthy amount of set-up for you to appreciate, some of it was totally visual, and…well, you get the idea. But it really was hilarious, I swear. The most easily-translatable moment is probably Donald Glover’s story about how they had to teach Betty White the lyrics to Toto’s “Africa” on the set. “I assumed she knew ‘Africa,'” he said. “I was, like, ‘Everybody knows that song!’ But, like, that song was out when she was already old. She was already 50-something.”

6. Asking various cast members of “Outsourced” which of their number was, upon discovering that viewers were digging the show, the first to yell, “Suck it, critics!”

Parvesh Cheena (Gupta) said it was Rizwan Manji (Rajiv). Rizwan said it was Parvesh. Both of them then tried to pin it on Anisha Nagarajan (Madhuri), who immediately looked as though she was going to cry. Ultimate presumption: no one actually said it, but all of them thought it…as well they should have.

7. Talking to Paris Hilton.

It was weird enough to have her walk past me on two separate occasions while I was on the phone with my wife (I swear, honey, she never had a chance with me), but it was thoroughly bizarre to score a few minutes in one-on-one conversation with her. It wasn’t quite as weird as talking to Kim Kardashian last year, since I could actually ask Paris about a variety of projects – her album, her movie with Jason Mewes (“Bottoms Up”), her “BFF” series for MTV – but it was still pretty odd to find myself talking to one of the most recognizable women on the planet. Oh, and if you’re wondering, she is indeed quite gorgeous in person.

8. Spending more time not interviewing Danny Pudi and Alison Brie than interviewing them.

God bless the publicist for “Community,” who recognized me and asked if I’d like to talk to some of the cast. I jumped at the chance, of course, and started into an interview with Danny and Alison…until Oscar Nunez of “The Office” came up. At first, I was part of a four-way, but I was quickly phased out as they continued to chat with each other. Then Yvette Nicole Brown came up and briefly joined their conversation. Finally, Danny and Alison returned and apologized for having gotten distracted…at which point Michael Ausiello and Matt Mitovich swung by. And then they left…and a few others folks popped in. Somewhere along the line, Donald Glover briefly jumped into the mix. I really can’t complain about any of these “guest stars,” though. The whole experience was a blast.

9. Jack McBrayer asking me not to record our end-of-the-party conversation.

When I approached the man who plays Kenneth the Page on “30 Rock” to ask him a question, he agreed, but then he looked down at my recorder and said, “Oh, my! You’re not going to record this are you? I’d rather you didn’t.” At this point, he performed a perfect mock aside, holding a hand to his mouth and whispering, “I’m a little bit tipsy!” So I turned off my recorder. Kudos to you, Mr. McBrayer. Would that more actors had that blend of good humor and common sense.

“Outsourced” is NBC’s new workplace comedy series centered around a catalog-based company, Mid America Novelties, that sells American novelty goods including whoopee cushions, foam fingers and wallets made of bacon, and whose call center has suddenly been outsourced to India. After recently completing Mid America Novelties’ manager training program, Todd Dempsy (Ben Rappaport, off-Broadway’s “The Gingerbread House”) learns that the call center is being outsourced to India, and he is asked to move there to be the manager. Having never ventured out of the country, he is unprepared for the culture shock. Overwhelmed, Todd discovers that his new staff needs a crash course in all things American if they are to understand the U.S. product line and ramp up sales from halfway around the world. The sales team Todd inherits includes Gupta (Parvesh Cheena, “Help Me Help You”), a socially awkward employee; Manmeet (Sacha Dhawan, BBC’s “Five Days II”), a young romantic who is enamored with America; Asha (Rebecca Hazlewood, BBC’s “Doctors”), a smart, striking woman who finds herself intrigued by Todd; Rajiv (Rizwan Manji, “Privileged”) the assistant manager who wants Todd’s job; and Madhuri (Anisha Nagarajan, Broadway’s “Bombay Dreams”), a wallflower who suffers from extreme shyness. Todd also discovers other transplants working in his office building, including an American expatriate, Charlie Davies (Diedrich Bader, “The Drew Carey Show”), who runs the All-American Hunter call center, and Tonya (Pippa Black, “Neighbours”), a beautiful Australian who runs the call center for Koala Air. (Premieres September 23rd at 9:30/8:30c)

The Event (Mon., Sept. 20 @ 9:00 PM, NBC)

* The competition: “Dancing with the Stars” (ABC), “Two and a Half Men” and “Mike & Molly” (CBS), “Lone Star” (Fox), “Gossip Girl” (The CW)

Starring: Jason Ritter, Sarah Roemer, Blair Underwood, Laura Innes, Scott Patterson, Ian Anthony Dale, Zeljko Ivanek

Producers: Steve Stark (“Medium”), Evan Katz (“24”), Nick Wauters (“The 4400,” “Eureka”), Jeffrey Reiner (“Friday Night Lights,” “Trauma”)

Network’s Description: an emotional, high-octane conspiracy thriller that follows Sean Walker, an Everyman who investigates the mysterious disappearance of his fiancée, Leila, and unwittingly begins to expose the biggest cover-up in U.S. history. Sean’s quest will send ripples through the lives of an eclectic band of strangers, including: newly elected U.S. President Martinez; Sophia, who is the leader of a mysterious group of detainees; and Sean’s shadowy father-in-law. Their futures are on a collision course in a global conspiracy that could ultimately change the fate of mankind.

The Buzz: NBC ain’t playing around with this one: the big question of the summer for TV fans has been, “What is ‘The Event’?” Most of those who’ve seen the pilot seem to at least be hooked enough to come back for Episode 2, though I’m sure no one is counting on finding out what ‘The Event’ is anytime soon. On a related note, there’s some very reasonable concern from folks about whether they’re going to be let down by a promising sci-fi pilot that starts strong but then either peters out early in the season or never gets properly resolved before it’s canceled. (“FlashForward,” anyone?)

Pilot Highlight: There are several moments which will have you raising your eyebrows both at what you’re seeing and what it means, particularly the final scene, but the most effective sequence begins when Sean – who’s on a cruise with Leila – returns from a solo outing to find things aren’t quite the same as he left them.

Bottom Line: The rapid-fire back and forth between past and present combined with people getting the sensation that NBC’s trying for the next “Lost” is going to make it a tough sell for some, but, damn, the first episode sure intrigued the hell out of me.

Chase (Mon., Sept. 20 @ 10:00 PM, NBC)

* The competition: “Hawaii Five-0” (CBS), “Castle” (ABC)

Starring: Kelli Giddish, Cole Hauser, Amaury Nolasco, Rose Rollins, Jesse Metcalfe

Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer (“CSI”), Jonathan Littman and Jennifer Johnson (“Cold Case”), KristieAnne Reed (“The Forgotten,” “Miami Medical”)

Network’s Description: a fast-paced drama that drops viewers smack into the middle of a game of cat-and-mouse as a team of U.S. marshals hunts down America’s most dangerous fugitives. U.S. Marshal Annie Frost is a cowboy boot-wearing deputy whose sharp mind and unique Texas upbringing help her track down the violent criminals on the run. The members of Frost’s elite team are Jimmy Godfrey, an East Texas kid who never grew up and is a true American cowboy; Marco Martinez, a good intelligence guy who loves to talk; and Daisy Ogbaa, a weapons/tactical specialist and a woman of few words. Rounding out the cast is Luke Watson, the fresh-faced newcomer, whose Washington, D.C., upbringing did little to prepare him for the Lone Star State.

The Buzz: It ain’t great. For one thing, Bruckerheimer was nowhere to be seen at the panel for the series (he was apparently on the set of the new “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie, but he somehow managed to make it in for ABC’s panel for “The Whole Truth” a couple of days later), and then the panel itself was notably shorter than the ones for some of the other new entries on the NBC schedule. Maybe we shouldn’t make too much of either of these things, though. It’s more likely that it’s just a case where the show was too pedestrian to inspire much in the way of unique promotion.

Pilot Highlight: Nothing, really, and I can’t help but recall that I had this same problem with one of NBC’s pilots last year, too. (Would you please rise from the grave and take a final bow, “Mercy”?) Sometimes, a show arrives, follows its formula, and departs without leaving much of an impression. “Chase” is one of those shows.

Bottom Line: Don’t let the Bruckheimer name suck you in this time. “Chase” is the most by-the-book, formulaic cops-and-robbers drama I’ve seen in awhile, with no “hook” to make it stand out from the pack. If “Hawaii Five-0” doesn’t blow it out of the water, then I’ll have to echo Alex O’Loughlin’s sentiments and concede that I’m completely bewildered and have no idea how television works at all.

WEDNESDAY

Undercovers (Wed., Sept. 22 @ 8:00 PM, NBC)

* The competition: “The Middle” and “Better with You” (ABC), “Survivor” (CBS), “Hell’s Kitchen” / “Lie to Me” Nov. 10 (Fox), “America’s Next Top Model” (The CW)

Starring: Boris Kodjoe, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Gerald McRaney, Ben Schwartz, Mekia Cox, Carter MacIntyre

Producers: J.J. Abrams (“Alias,” “Lost,” “Fringe”), Josh Reims (“Brothers & Sisters,” “Dirty Sexy Money”)

Network’s Description: a sexy, fun, action-packed spy drama that proves once and for all that marriage is still the world’s most dangerous partnership. Outwardly, Steven Bloom and his wife, Samantha, are a typical married couple who own and operate a small catering company in Los Angeles — with help from Samantha’s easily frazzled, handful of a sister, Lizzy. Secretly, the duo were two of the best spies the CIA had ever known, until they fell in love on the job five years ago and retired. When fellow spy and good friend Leo Nash goes missing while on the trail of a Russian arms dealer, the Blooms are reinstated by boss and agency liaison, Carlton Shaw, to locate and rescue Nash. With assistance from resourceful CIA field agent Bill Hoyt, whose professional admiration for Steven isn’t hard to miss, the pair is thrust back into the world of espionage, disguises and hand-to-hand combat. Following leads that take them to cities spanning the globe, Steven and Samantha quickly realize that perhaps this supercharged, undercover lifestyle provides exactly the kind of excitement and romance that their marriage has been missing.

The Buzz: Relatively strong, although it’s rather odd how little we’ve heard from Abrams on the project, given that he’s usually out front and ready to pound the pavement to promote his series. Still, you’ve got “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” fans who can’t help but notice a similarity between that film and this series, and you’ve got those who are curious and/or excited about the idea of a spy drama with black leads, so there are definitely folks who are ready to check out the show.

Pilot Highlight: Maybe it’s just because I’m a sucker for the classics, but the bits with Bill treating Steven as a god among spies were extremely funny. It’s not something that I’d want them to try and sustain for the long haul – I expect that a constantly-fawning Bill would get pretty annoying pretty quickly – but it worked great for the introduction of the character, anyway.

Bottom Line: I still don’t think it feels like a J.J. Abrams production, and the idea of the couple maintaining their catering company while working as spies seems like the kind of thing that’s primed to be dropped during a mid-season retooling, but Boris and Gugu do make the sparks fly when they’re together. Given that it’ll be the only drama in its timeslot when it first premieres (“Lie to Me” doesn’t come back ’til November), I’d say it has a good shot at taking off.

Law & Order: Los Angeles (Wed., Sept. 22 @ 9:00 PM, NBC)

* The competition: “The Whole Truth” (ABC), “Defenders” (CBS)

Starring: Skeet Ulrich, Corey Stoll, Wanda De Jesus, Alfred Molina, Terrence Howard, Regina Hall, Megan Boone, Teri Polo

Producers: Dick Wolf, Rene Balcer, and Peter Jankowski (“Law & Order”), Blake Masters (“Brotherhood,” “Rubicon”)

Network’s Description: the classic ripped-from-the-headlines storytelling with the distinctive backdrop of LA – delving into the unique attitudes, cultures and crimes of the West Coast. Detectives Rex Winters and Tomas “TJ” Jarusalski pursue cases through the diverse City of Angels as members of the Los Angeles Police Department’s elite Robbery Homicide Division. Winters is a straight-shooting ex-marine with a clear-cut world view as stubborn as he is, while “TJ,” who grew up the son of an Oscar-winning Polish cinematographer, knows too well the dark underside that is behind-the-scenes Hollywood. Protecting the detectives who serve under her is Lieutenant Arleen Gonzales, and is driven, focused, and meticulous. She is a twenty-year vet with a background in military intelligence who now oversees the Homicide 1 section of Robbery Homicide Division. Deputy District Attorney Morales is a sarcastic realist who believes moral righteousness is great in theory, but ineffective in a street fight. Though he knows how to manipulate both his public image and the behind-the-scenes politics, he is still a killer in the courtroom who lives to see justice served. At Morales’ side is Deputy District Attorney Evelyn Price, an idealist and a true believer. She has faith that the system she serves is capable of drawing clean lines between good and evil, a belief that her boss, the pragmatic DDA Morales, does not share.

The Buzz: Originally, the only buzz was surrounding the strange decision by NBC to cancel the original “Law & Order” series just as they’re greenlighting a new “Law & Order” series, but as the cast has begun to take shape, people are beginning to take note of the caliber of talent that Dick Wolf has pulled together for what originally seemed to be just another “L&O” spin-off. Skeet Ulrich and Teri Polo? Alfred Molina and Terrence Howard?!? Well, if nothing else, they’re getting people’s attention.

Pilot Highlight: As of this writing, we still haven’t received a copy of the pilot. Word on the street is that Ulrich’s character will be introduced in an episode of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” first, but, uh, we haven’t gotten that yet, either. Basically, all we’re willing to commit to is that the highlight will either involve law or order. Probably not both…but you never know.

Bottom Line: It’s a proven franchise. If you love any other “Law & Order,” there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to love this one, too.

THURSDAY

Outsourced (Thurs., Sept. 23 @ 9:30 PM, NBC)

* The competition: “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC), “CSI: Crime Scene Investigations” (CBS), “Fringe” (Fox), “Nikita” (The CW)

Starring: Ben Rappaport, Rizwan Manji, Sacha Dhawan, Rebecca Hazlewood, Parvesh Cheena, Anisha Nagarajan, Diedrich Bader, Pippa Black

Producers: Ken Kwapis (“The Office”), Tom Gorai and David Skinner (“Outsourced,” the film that inspired the series), Alexandra Beattie

Network’s Description: After recently completing Mid America Novelties’ manager training program, Todd Dempsy learns that the call center is being outsourced to India, and he is asked to move there to be the manager. Having never ventured out of the country, he is unprepared for the culture shock. Overwhelmed, Todd discovers that his new staff needs a crash course in all things American if they are to understand the U.S. product line and ramp up sales from halfway around the world. The sales team Todd inherits includes Gupta, a socially awkward employee, Manmeet, a young romantic who is enamored with America, Asha, a smart, striking woman who finds herself intrigued by Todd, Rajiv, the assistant manager who wants Todd’s job and Madhuri, a wallflower who suffers from extreme shyness. Todd also discovers other transplants working in his office building, including an American expatriate, Charlie Davies, who runs the All American Hunter call center, and Tonya, a beautiful Australian who runs the call center for Koala Air.

The Buzz: It seems pretty much split down the middle: either people think it’s really, really funny, or they think it’s really, really racist. Personally, I’ve got it sitting in the former category, but, I mean, I’m not Indian, so that might have something to do with it…although the members of the cast seem to think it’s funny, too, so I feel like they’ve kind of got my back.

Pilot Highlight: There’s certainly a lot of funny stuff happening as the staff hones their pitches in order to properly sell American novelty products, but if I had to pick a single moment, it’s when Gupta busts a move.

Bottom Line: I can see where people might perceive it as racist, but when I watched it, I just saw a culture-clash comedy…and a very funny one, at that. It feels like it’ll fit perfectly in NBC’s Thursday night comedy line-up.

FRIDAY

School Pride (Fri., Sept. 24 @ 8:00 PM, NBC)

* The competition: “Secret Millionaire” (ABC), “Medium” (CBS), “Human Target” (Fox), “Smallville” (The CW)

Starring: Susie Castillo, Jacob Soboroff, Tom Stroup, Kym Whitley

Producers: Denise Cramsey (“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”), Melissa Stokes (“True Beauty”), Adam M. Neal (“Stylista”), Cheryl Hines (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”)

Network’s Description: a proactive, alternative series that tells the stories of communities coming together to renovate their aging and broken public schools. While transforming the school, the community also restores its sense of value and school pride. The cameras follow students, teachers and parents as they roll up their sleeves and rebuild their own schools, concluding with the unveiling of a brand new, completely transformed school. They are motivated by a quartet of community organizers and personalities — a SWAT Commander, an interior designer Susie Castillo, a comedian and former substitute teacher, and a journalist. Together, the team of experts will lead the community through the makeover process.

The Buzz: None to speak of, aside from the fact that Cheryl Hines is one of the executive producers.

Pilot Highlight: We haven’t been provided with a pilot yet, so I couldn’t say.

Bottom Line: You’d think that the lack of buzz and a pilot would have me saying, “This thing’s D.O.A.,” but you never can tell with inspirational reality shows like this. Sometimes they take off (“Undercover Boss”), sometimes they don’t (“Breakthrough with Tony Robbins”), and I’m not going to pretend that I have any clue which way this one will go.

Outlaw (Fri., Sept. 24 @ 10:00 PM, NBC)

* The competition: “Blue Bloods” (CBS), “20/20” (ABC)

Starring: Jimmy Smits, David Ramsey, Ellen Woglom, Carly Pope, Jesse Bradford

Producers: John Eisendrath (“Alias,” “My Own Worst Enemy”), David Kissinger, Conan O’Brien and Jeff Ross (“Andy Barker, P.I.”)

Network’s Description: Few jobs are guaranteed for a lifetime, and a Supreme Court appointment is a position that no one ever quits — unless he is Cyrus Garza. A playboy and a gambler, Justice Garza always adhered to a strict interpretation of the law until he realized the system he believed in was flawed. Now, he’s quit the bench and returned to private practice. Using his inside knowledge of the justice system, Garza and his team will travel across the country taking on today’s biggest and most controversial legal cases. Garza’s team includes his best friend since childhood, Al Druzinsky, a brilliant defense attorney with liberal beliefs; Mereta Stockman, a hopeless romantic who is Garza’s loyal law clerk; Lucinda Pearl, a wildly unorthodox private investigator who uses her sex appeal and wit to gather information for Garza, and Eddie Franks, a tightly wound, rabidly ambitious Yale-educated attorney, recently hired as Garza’s law clerk.

The Buzz: At first, it was about the irony that NBC had picked up a show executive produced by Conan O’Brien, then it was about how the show was so completely preposterous that it could be a Conan sketch. (“He used to be on the Supreme Court, but now he’s ridin’ the rails delivering his own brand of justice!”) Right now, I think most people are just waiting to see if viewers really will watch Jimmy Smits no matter what role he plays.

Pilot Highlight: It’s a tough call between Justice Garza getting thrown out of a casino for counting cards and unabashedly committing sexual harassment in a discussion with an attorney. Basically, it’s the moments where he’s being way more raucous than any real Supreme Court Justice would ever be, not the legal drama, that really stand out.

Bottom Line: Absolutely preposterous, yes, but Smits’s character is so over the top that “Outlaw” is actually kind of entertaining. Still, I can’t see the show being able to top CBS’s built-in buzz for the return of Tom Selleck to series television.