# Brown Nation
**Brown Nation** is an American sitcom of ten episodes about an Indian-American man, Hasmukh Parikh, who runs a struggling IT consulting company in Queens, New York, while managing a difficult household. It was created and written by Abi Varghese, George Kanatt, and Matt Grubb, and it premiered on Netflix on November 15, 2016.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3787402/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/brown_nation/cast-and-crew) The series was independently financed and produced in and around New York City, and according to its IMDb trivia entry it was the first independently financed and produced television show picked up for global release by Netflix.[3](https://blog.frame.io/2016/12/08/brown-nation-netflix/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3787402/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Ten-episode situation comedy, roughly 21 to 22 minutes per episode, rated TV-14[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3787402/) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/brown-nation) |
| Premiere | November 15, 2016, on Netflix (United States)[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3787402/) |
| Creators | Abi Varghese, George Kanatt, and Matt Grubb; directed by Varghese[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/brown_nation/cast-and-crew) • [5](https://www.indulgexpress.com/entertainment/tv/2022/oct/19/indian-american-tv-show-brown-nation-to-premiere-in-india-this-diwali-on-comedy-central-44766.html) |
| Setting | Hasmukh's small IT consulting firm, Shree Ganesh Computers Limited Inc, in Queens, NY, and his home[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/brown-nation) |
| Lead cast | Rajeev Varma (Hasmukh), Shenaz Treasury (Dimple), Kapil Bawa (Papaji), Omi Vaidya (Balan), Melanie Chandra (Roli)[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/brown_nation/cast-and-crew) |
| Financing | Self-financed by individual investors and production companies including Silicon Media; no studio or network backing[3](https://blog.frame.io/2016/12/08/brown-nation-netflix/) |
| Later life | Removed from Netflix US on November 15, 2020; Indian television premiere on Comedy Central on October 22, 2022[6](https://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/80119125) • [5](https://www.indulgexpress.com/entertainment/tv/2022/oct/19/indian-american-tv-show-brown-nation-to-premiere-in-india-this-diwali-on-comedy-central-44766.html) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and characters
Hasmukh Parikh, played by Rajeev Varma, operates a small IT consulting company called Shree Ganesh Computers Limited Inc in Queens, staffed by a disinterested and lazy group of employees, and the business flounders. At home his wife Dimple, played by [Shenaz Treasury](https://www.edgepedia.org/shenaz-treasury), is a frustrated and jobless artist who complains about having no time for her own work because of the demands of caring for the family dog, Bobby. Hasmukh tries to balance work and family, but neither seems to have his best interest at heart.[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/brown-nation) The household also includes Papaji, Dimple's contentious father, played by Kapil Bawa.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/brown_nation/cast-and-crew)
Co-producer Prakash Bare said the series is a sitcom that satirizes how Indians and other brown-skinned communities live against the backdrop of New York City, intentionally avoiding a serious or preachy tone; its humor comes from the everyday rat race of city life and from the cultural differences between the show's Indian, Middle Eastern, Chinese, Caucasian, and African-American characters.[7](https://www.thequint.com/amp/story/entertainment/brown-nation-series-netflix-indian-american-prakash-bare-interview-omi-vaidya-abi-varghese-web-series) The central family is Gujarati; [Omi Vaidya](https://www.edgepedia.org/omi-vaidya) plays a Tamilian character called Balan, and the show also includes Malayali characters.[7](https://www.thequint.com/amp/story/entertainment/brown-nation-series-netflix-indian-american-prakash-bare-interview-omi-vaidya-abi-varghese-web-series) The cast speaks in English, Hindi, and Gujarati.[8](https://accessbollywood.net/2016/11/23/interview-with-brown-nation-star-omi-vaidya/)
The ten episodes, all released on November 15, 2016, carry self-contained stories that build on each other, with titles including "Farewell Papaji," "The Video Conference," "Fire Matt," "Baby Issue," and "Dhansukh Dilemma."[9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/brown_nation/s01)
## Independent production
The series was shot quickly and cheaply: about 250 script pages filmed in 30 days with a two-camera setup, in and around New York City, with filming locations in [Long Island City](https://www.edgepedia.org/long-island-city), Queens.[3](https://blog.frame.io/2016/12/08/brown-nation-netflix/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3787402/) It was self-financed, drawing on many individual investors plus larger production companies such as Silicon Media, and was not backed by a studio or TV company, which its makers said freed it from the typical stories and casts of American or Indian television.[3](https://blog.frame.io/2016/12/08/brown-nation-netflix/) • [8](https://accessbollywood.net/2016/11/23/interview-with-brown-nation-star-omi-vaidya/)
Production companies credited are Indus Media and [Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment) (IME), Create Entertainment, and Infamous Coconuts, with executive producers Prakash Bare, Naveen Chathappuram, and Charles Leslie.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3787402/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/brown_nation/cast-and-crew) Director Abi Varghese had previously created *Akkara Kazhchagal*, a Malayalam sitcom that aired on Kairali TV for three years, and cited *The Office* and *Arrested Development* as influences, saying part of the inspiration was a desire to see more South Asian content on television.[7](https://www.thequint.com/amp/story/entertainment/brown-nation-series-netflix-indian-american-prakash-bare-interview-omi-vaidya-abi-varghese-web-series) • [10](https://www.nyfa.edu/film-school-blog/nyfa-new-york-welcomes-brown-nation-team-to-guest-speaker-series/)
An earlier business arrangement preceded the finished show. In December 2014, the Indian production company [Balaji Telefilms](https://www.edgepedia.org/balaji-telefilms) announced that it was entering the American television market through a production deal with Indus Media, under which it would secure rights to *Brown Nation*, described then as a satirical comedy based on the lives of [Indian Americans](https://www.edgepedia.org/indian-americans), planned for release in early 2015.[11](https://www.livemint.com/Consumer/HWgxiXicr1wB183q7mIJJP/Balaji-Telefilms-to-enter-American-television-market-with-In.html) The series in fact reached audiences a year later than that plan.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3787402/)
## Path to Netflix
Selling the finished show took far longer than shooting it. After assembling a rough cut, the team pitched to American networks including NBC and CBS, which turned it down as too niche and too independent. They then approached Indian broadcasters, where Star TV, described in the interview as the biggest player, declined it as too American and too English.[3](https://blog.frame.io/2016/12/08/brown-nation-netflix/) Netflix, which had opened its service in India in January 2016, picked up the series for global release.[3](https://blog.frame.io/2016/12/08/brown-nation-netflix/)
Varghese's team also used the review platform Frame.io in an unusual way during post-production, running virtualized test screenings treated like social media.[3](https://blog.frame.io/2016/12/08/brown-nation-netflix/)
## Reception and later distribution
Audience measures were moderate: the series holds an IMDb rating of 6.7/10 from 747 votes, and Rotten Tomatoes recorded a 99% Popcornmeter audience score with no published critic reviews for season 1.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3787402/) • [9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/brown_nation/s01) Critical response was mixed. A review in Scroll called the show vapid and incoherent, judging its attempt at an Indian-American version of *Everybody Loves Raymond* a failure, while a blog review compared it favorably to that same sitcom model and called it an easy, fresh watch centered on an Indian family.[12](https://amp.scroll.in/article/822475/indian-american-techie-with-shrill-wife-and-pesky-dad-in-law-brown-nation-is-just-not-funny) • [13](https://crossthenetflixstream.blogspot.com/2016/11/brown-nation-season-1-netflix-series.html) Omi Vaidya, known for playing Chatur Ramalingam in *3 Idiots*, said in interviews that he hoped to make such comic characters less caricatured and more real, and that *Brown Nation* was more sophisticated than much of the comedy he was seeing in India.[14](https://scroll.in/article/825422/why-omi-vaidya-from-3-idiots-agreed-to-play-an-indian-buffoon-in-an-american-sitcom)
The series stayed on Netflix US from November 16, 2016, until November 15, 2020, after which it was unavailable for streaming in the United States.[6](https://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/80119125) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/brown-nation) It later reached Indian television: [Comedy Central](https://www.edgepedia.org/comedy-central) premiered all ten episodes back-to-back on October 22, 2022, during the Diwali holiday frame, with a repeat on October 24.[15](https://m.imdb.com/it/news/ni63798791/) • [5](https://www.indulgexpress.com/entertainment/tv/2022/oct/19/indian-american-tv-show-brown-nation-to-premiere-in-india-this-diwali-on-comedy-central-44766.html) Writing about diaspora-focused shows in 2025, Media India described the series as a dry, witty look at the everyday struggles of an Indian immigrant entrepreneur in the United States that gained popularity through word of mouth.[16](https://mediaindia.eu/diaspora/once-in-a-blue-moon-five-shows-that-speak-to-indians-living-overseas/)
## References
1. [Brown Nation (TV Series 2016), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3787402/)
2. [Brown Nation: Full Cast & Crew, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/brown_nation/cast-and-crew)
3. [How Frame.io helped make Brown Nation a Netflix hit, Frame.io Insider (2016)](https://blog.frame.io/2016/12/08/brown-nation-netflix/)
4. [Brown Nation - watch tv show streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/brown-nation)
5. [Indian-American TV show, Brown Nation to premiere in India this Diwali on Comedy Central, Indulge Express (2022)](https://www.indulgexpress.com/entertainment/tv/2022/oct/19/indian-american-tv-show-brown-nation-to-premiere-in-india-this-diwali-on-comedy-central-44766.html)
6. [Is 'Brown Nation' on Netflix? Where to Watch the Series, New On Netflix USA](https://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/80119125)
7. [New Netflix Series 'Brown Nation' Is a Satire on Indians In NY, The Quint / The News Minute (2016)](https://www.thequint.com/amp/story/entertainment/brown-nation-series-netflix-indian-american-prakash-bare-interview-omi-vaidya-abi-varghese-web-series)
8. [Interview with "Brown Nation" Star Omi Vaidya, Access Bollywood (2016)](https://accessbollywood.net/2016/11/23/interview-with-brown-nation-star-omi-vaidya/)
9. [Brown Nation: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/brown_nation/s01)
10. [NYFA New York Welcomes "Brown Nation" Team to Guest Speaker Series, New York Film Academy (2017)](https://www.nyfa.edu/film-school-blog/nyfa-new-york-welcomes-brown-nation-team-to-guest-speaker-series/)
11. [Balaji Telefilms to enter American television market with Indus Media deal, Mint (2014)](https://www.livemint.com/Consumer/HWgxiXicr1wB183q7mIJJP/Balaji-Telefilms-to-enter-American-television-market-with-In.html)
12. [Indian-American techie with shrill wife and pesky dad-in-law? 'Brown Nation' is just not funny, Scroll (2016)](https://amp.scroll.in/article/822475/indian-american-techie-with-shrill-wife-and-pesky-dad-in-law-brown-nation-is-just-not-funny)
13. [Cross the Netflix Stream: Brown Nation Season 1 Review (2016)](https://crossthenetflixstream.blogspot.com/2016/11/brown-nation-season-1-netflix-series.html)
14. [Why Omi Vaidya from '3 Idiots' agreed to play an Indian buffoon in an American sitcom, Scroll (2016)](https://scroll.in/article/825422/why-omi-vaidya-from-3-idiots-agreed-to-play-an-indian-buffoon-in-an-american-sitcom)
15. ['Brown Nation' Sets Indian Debut on Comedy Central, Variety via IMDb (2022)](https://m.imdb.com/it/news/ni63798791/)
16. [Once in a blue moon: Five shows that speak to Indians living overseas, Media India (2025)](https://mediaindia.eu/diaspora/once-in-a-blue-moon-five-shows-that-speak-to-indians-living-overseas/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy series › American sitcoms and comedy series › 2010s cable and streaming comedies*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license