Sunnyside

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.