The new comedy
Chad has been a long time coming. Created by and starring Nasim Pedrad, the show has been in development since 2016, and has moved networks from Fox to TBS. Pedrad not only written and directed the show; she also takes on the challenge of playing the eponymous 14-year-old boy who legally changed his name from Ferydoon to Chad Amani to sound more American. He only has one goal as high school starts: to befriend the crowd he perceives as “cool.” It’s a familiar narrative, but Chad, who is Iranian American, has to additionally navigate his cultural identity along with his teenage experiences, although he often chooses not to do so. Chad puts his Iranian heritage on the back burner as a way to fit in, even though he’s the only one who views it as a hindrance. After some unsteady initial episodes, the series manages to explore some heartfelt narratives through its extremely uncomfortable humor.
What happens when your high school nightmares are manifested into sitcom fodder?
Chad, a sidesplitting show about the brutal, cringeworthy, and lonely pangs of adolescence as seen through the eyes of a 14-year-old boy, played by
Saturday Night Live alum Nasim Pedrad. Set during Chad s freshman year, Pedrad manages to expertly capture the anguish that comes with wanting to fit in when you re different (in Chad s case, Iranian American) but also have the unabashed, know-it-all attitude that often accompanies peak puberty; you ll be left wanting to give Chad both a hug and a swift kick in the groin.
In advance of the series premiere next month, Pedrad who also serves as creator, writer, executive producer, and showrunner sat down with her socially awkward teen counterpart for a wildly inappropriate (yet hysterical) interview about how much money the actress makes and if she is or isn t sexually active.