Chad rises above its cringe comedy with surprising earnestness
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 ...