¡It's funny, pero (but) like they won't get it!

After reading and talking about how television executives localize American television shows to foreign markets, I got to thinking about a new show on CBS and how this would be marketed to foreign viewers.  ¡Rob!,a new show on CBS is a comedy about a middle aged white man who marries a young Mexican women and finds himself in a difficult situation trying to get the approval of her family.  Set in California, this show focuses a lot on the stereotypes associated with the Latino population in California.  Although the Mexican family on the show appears to be middle class, they all speak with an east L.A. accent, which is usually associated with a lower class status.  One of the most interesting parts of the show is the funny and well-known Mexican actor, Eugenio Derbez, who plays a minor role as the funny and strange uncle.  Although very well respected in the Spanish speaking community, Derbez is portrayed as silly to American viewers.  These western views of other cultures, not just the Latino culture, is a recurring pattern.  We see this in shows like I Love Lucy with the exaggeration of Ricky’s ethnicity, bubble bee man in the Simpson, movies like Machete, and countless others.  What is seen as humorous to American culture is not just offensive to other cultures but also confusing.  It seems pretty safe to say that ¡Rob! would be a very difficult show for television executives to market globally because the humor only applies to American viewers.