Nasim Pedrad has masterminded some of the best comedy routines seen on Saturday Night Live and Mulaney. She is also the star of the new TBS comedy series Chad. The show’s trailer was released in May 2019, and the first episode aired on 6th April 2021.
Pedrad plays Chad, a 14-year-old Persian boy and is one of the show’s executive producers. The show has received mixed ratings – it has a 100% critic score and a 40% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a lowly 2.4/10 rating on IMDb.
This piece will look at the story behind Chad.
Chad tells the story of a teenage Persian boy looking to become one of the cool kids
Chad is a 14-year-old Persian boy who will stop at nothing to become one of the ‘cool kids’ in his high school. He has a strong support system, including his best friend, his mother, younger sister, and empathetic uncle, but he is quick to dismiss them after he gets what he wants from them. Chad isn’t discreet about his apparent disdain for his family either.
Chad’s obnoxious attitude towards his loved ones is baffling as it leaves him completely alone. His awkwardness rules out any long-term interaction with the cool kids and makes everything he does seem like a joke.
The high school part about Chad doesn’t work, but the few moments Chad connects with his Persian heritage make the show worthwhile. Chad wishes he was more American than he is Persian. He picked the name ‘Chad’ from a rack of fake license plates when he couldn’t find one with his Persian name.
The series shows moments where Chad shows pride in his heritage yet it is clear that he wishes he were an American. Overall, however, the show is a triumph of Middle-Eastern representation on television.
Despite the mixed reception, Chad is salvageable. One of the ways the show can do that is by giving Chad an engaging character arch. The initial description stated that Chad would be about ‘a 14-year old boy in the throes of adolescence who is tasked with being the man of the house.’ We are yet to see that in Chad, but hopefully, it will form part of the next installment.
Chad was initially commissioned in 2016, but Fox failed to put the show into production
In February 2016, Nasim Pedrad and Rob Rosell successfully pitched Chad: An American Boy to Fox. However, Fox never picked up the show.
TBS picked up the rights to Chad in 2019. “I’m so grateful to TBS for believing in Chad and giving an adult woman the opportunity to play a teenage boy while also running the show behind the camera,” Pedrad said after producing the pilot.
On 15th May 2019, TBS announced that it had ordered 10 episodes of the series. “Chad is creative, diverse and inclusive storytelling that epitomizes the TBS brand,” TBS general manager Brett Weitz said. “Nasim Pedrad is a comedic mastermind and profound storyteller.”