Sunnyside (TV Series 2019) Poster

(2019)

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5/10
Character Development
jearlchris27 September 2019
Will need more episodes for proper character development. May not survive long enough to do so.
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4/10
I expected better
denig70511 October 2019
The dialog is bad and the plot is simplistic. I would expect better from KAL Penn.
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6/10
Make Poppy Liu the star and I'll watch more
cherold16 January 2020
Sunnyside is a conventional, old-school sitcom about a disgraced politician trying to win redemption by helping a multi-cultural group gain citizenship.

I watched the first episode and liked it well enough to watch a second. It's got some good jokes scattered through it, but the plotting is sitcom stupid and the main character is an objectionable idiot, which makes it perplexing that the people he's trying to help don't give up on him.

The series is pro-immigrant, ethnically varied, and eager to avoid stereotypes. The best characters are Asian siblings who, instead of the familiar hardworking genius Asians, are wealthy, lazy, and not so bright. They are easily the funniest thing in the series, especially thanks to Poppy Liu who makes even the most innocuous lines hilarious.

Sunnyside is harmless and sometimes funny but simply doesn't offer enough to make it worth committing to.
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3/10
Show is 30 years late
alienashu8 November 2019
It's a slapstick comedy that used to work in the 80s and 90s but the comedy world has evolved a lot since then with shows like 'it's always sunny', parks & rec, Veep, community, rick & morty, etc. Who'd watch something this basic and unfunny?
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Decent show with room to improve
dfl9625 October 2019
Show has its flaws, some of the characters could use improvement but I think it has potential. Plenty of great shows had weak first seasons. 30 rock and parks and rec both got a lot better in season two so I'm hopeful for it. The last episode about the local news was great.
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1/10
Desperation
Remeinzer13 November 2019
Wow I am not sure how this got as far in the pipeline as it did......sat there trying to find a place to laugh or smile or simply enjoy this but no.
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7/10
Funny brother and sister characters!
eleanorsinteriors18 October 2019
Silly but fun to watch. The brother and sister characters make the show so far. Worth watching it because of them
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1/10
A big miss
emforan2 October 2019
Trying way too hard to be funny. I'm sure it appeals to a very small group of people that they're aimed at. The attempt of relatability flopped missing out on a large portion of viewers.
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9/10
Funny
pretendbnice28 September 2019
First episode in and I like it. Nevermind all the Republicans saying they hate it because of the premise being propaganda. The show features Kal Penn and he by himself can carry the show, that being said he has a great supporting cast and they are funny. I can't wait to see where the season takes us.
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7/10
Kal Penn as Brian Griffin
wrenleung15 October 2019
Decent show. Diverse cast. Can't help but see Kal's character channeling Brian Griffin from Family Guy trying to be a better person after living as a douche. I hope the show gets better because I don't see it surviving past one season. I only genuinely laughed like 2-3 times per episode.
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2/10
No one to root for
drjgardner27 September 2019
It's an OK premise, but the first episode doesn't really give you anyone to root for, and the jokes are not all that good.
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10/10
Bring it on, baby!
danieldomecq2 October 2019
Michael Schur, you know how to raise the bar! It all made sense when I saw Fremulon after the end of the episode. (What does Fremulon mean? Anyway ...)

This is a funny, funny, funny show! I had to pause it several times because I was laughing so hard and didn't want to miss the next line. The characters are charming and engaging and overflowing with reasons for us to like them, pull for them, and definitely want to spend more time with them. And the actors are throwing it down SO well you want to find out what else they've been in.

It's got a plot premise with undeniable tension from the get-go. We have a group of folks who each want something, and they all want what they want for the correct reasons. They're smart, they're hard-working, and they have so much to add to the lives around them -- if they get what they want. (You see, boys and girls, that's how you formulate a story question.)

No, it's not Seinfeld, but the days of making a sitcom about nothing are behind us. Today, we want to spend time with characters who have something on the line. And when it's this funny, and this well written, and this dynamic -- well, it makes you glad shows today have more substance.

To the writers and producers -- keep 'em coming. You guys know how to rock it!
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6/10
Garrett Modi may be a loser but the REAL Kal Penn is likeable, animated and a natural
Ed-Shullivan27 September 2019
Please keep in mind that this was a comedy, and a pilot episode at that (September 26th, 2019), so I, as a Republican voter will cut the series some slack for the first several episodes to see how the characters evolve. Evolve? Yes that is what I said. Well.... wait no longer for Kal Penn to evolve because he is a natural. Some may say Garrett Modi is a drunk, selfish, and a natural loser in this show, but I say he is a natural winner, winning over his audience with his natural ability to make his character, a dismissed/fired City Councillor the champion and saviour of a bunch of immigrants.

If you can see past the political left wing emphasis you just have to keep in mind that the show is a sitcom, and not a promotion to vote Democratic, because if that is what you perceive this sitcom to be than the joke is on all of us. They will never beat Trump and he never starred in a TV sitcom.

I have always liked Kal Penn and he reminds me of the Gujarati Indian model version of the American John Belushi, rest his soul.
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1/10
Terrible
sixhoos30 September 2019
Boring, poorly written, and vapid. It's like watching paint dry.
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3/10
Comedy?
matthewguzman-9404729 September 2019
I didn't think it was funny at all. I enjoyed Kal Penn in Designated Survivor so wanted to give this shot. The characters are annoying and it's only the first episode. With all the shows out there, pick something else.
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2/10
It's a poor remake
always_ask_why6 November 2019
This is a US version of the UK show Mind Your Language. Trust me, watch that instead - the characters have so much more life and chemistry. It's even better because of language barriers being a factor in getting in the way of getting their UK citizenship.
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2/10
The comedy show that contains no comedy
dubwize6 October 2019
After two episodes I'm still waiting for a laugh. With Kal Penn as the main actor I thought this would have been at least kinda funny but I am still waiting for my first laugh. I do however feel like I lost some of my lifetime watching the first two episodes. I will not be back for more. Supporting cast are mostly annoying, the script feels like it was written by a college freshman and the delivery is forgettable.

Expected more from something calling itself comedy.
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8/10
Silly but funny once you get used to it.
kendallhall19 October 2019
I'm glad I gave this show another chance after not getting/not liking the pilot that much. I feel like it has been getting better every week and the 8/10 reflects the strength of the 4th episode as well as the work of Kal Penn and many of the supporting cast ("the twins," for example, can be a bit annoying, but more often then not I laugh at loud at how ridiculous they are).

It feels like this show might be starting to hit its stride, but it currently has a 4.6/10 rating. It is sad that networks are so quick to cancel quirky shows that don't find their audience right away.
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9/10
Fun show
thegreatsimaj16 October 2019
Love kal pen! love this show! Hope it stays around!
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1/10
Cal Penn can't save this
cekadah5 November 2019
After watching 4 episodes (well at least 3 and 1/2) I have given up on this show. I honestly thought it would get better into the series. But this hasn't happened.

Each character is simply sophomoric in every way. Cal Penn was the only character that kept my interest and the oriental brother & sister seem oddly psychopathic with a degenerate nature. And the others - well what can I say - are simple, at best.

This show may have been good with better writers.
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2/10
Couldn't watch 2 minutes of this.
alamarques18 March 2020
I don't even give a single crap about anything related to politics, but this show literally only talks about that. And again, I only managed to watch 2 minutes of it.
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5/10
Last few minutes gave me a little hope.
hughjman27 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I worked in the real Sunnyside, so that alone puts me on its team. The first 20 minutes were pretty ugh-y, but by the end I was willing to give it more chances - I think because one of the characters SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER being taken by ICE took it to another level. . I do wonder if they threw away a potential first season by having the main character have a change of heart in the pilot, rather than making them their season arc.
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1/10
Once again...political correctness runs amuck!
rogerdob2 October 2019
It feels like the producers of this show wanted themselves to feel good...they wrote a show hiring minorities that is about a minority person helping the other minorities get their citizenship. Normally, that could be an interesting idea, but the way it is presented here just reeks of political correctness. Nothing feels real...everything is a forced set-up to prove the producers point...they are the biggest employers of minorities on TV and they feel good about it. However, the main bottom line problem is the lame jokes and stereotype characters. This show is not likable and is doomed!
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8/10
Quirky cast & a fun show with serious undertones.
scochrane-6967113 October 2019
Perhaps living near Sunnyside, Queens helps, but the quirky, over the top characters make the show fun! Some laugh out loud moments, even though there are some serious messages about immigration, "Dreamers", ICE, and the situation out there today.
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