Colleen Hayes/NBC Kal Penn stars as Garrett, a former New York City councilman, in the new NBC sitcom "Sunnyside."
Set in New York City, NBC’s new series Sunnyside follows Garrett Modi (Kal Penn), a former New York City councilman who finds his calling when faced with immigrants in need of his help and in search of the American Dream.
Sunnyside premieres Thursday, September 26, at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. If you don’t have cable, you can watch the show live or on-demand on your computer, phone, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV or other streaming device via one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming subscription services:
NBC (live in most markets) is one of 95-plus live TV channels included in the main FuboTV bundle.
You can start a free 7-day trial of FuboTV right here, and you can then watch a live stream of Sunnyside on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast or other supported device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which allows you to watch new episodes up to three days after they air even if you forgot to record them.
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 60-plus live TV channels, which includes NBC (live in most markets).
You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of Sunnyside on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” comes with both its extensive on-demand library (which has new episodes available after they air) and 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
NBC (live in select markets) is one of 40-plus live TV channels included in the “Sling Blue” channel package.
You can start a free 7-day trial of Sling TV right here, and you can then watch Sunnyside live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or other streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
‘Sunnyside’ Series Premiere Preview
Garrett Modi (Penn) was living the American Dream. As the youngest New York City Councilman ever, he was rubbing elbows with the political elite, attending star-studded parties, and was the pride of Queens. But instead of spending his time in office helping the people that got him elected, he lost his way amidst the power and glamour of politics. When his downward spiral got him busted for public intoxication (and his own stupidity), it was all caught on tape and it ended his career.
When we first meet Garrett in the premiere, he’s crashing with his sister, Mallory, and wondering where it all went wrong. That is, until he’s hired by a diverse group of hopefuls who dream of becoming American citizens and believe he can help–giving him a new sense of purpose and a chance for redemption, as long as he remembers where he came from.
In the series’ second episode, “The Ethiopian Executioner” (airing October 3), Garrett and Griselda suspect Hakim is involved in something suspicious. Brady takes refuge in Jun Ho and Mei Lin’s high society life.
Starring alongside Penn is Diana Maria Riva as Griselda, a hardworking Dominican immigrant and one of Garrett’s students. Joel Kim Booster plays Jim Hao, a member of a wealthy Asian family seeking American citizenship. Other stars of the series are Kiran Deol, Poppy Liu, Moses Storm, and Samba Schutte.
Although reviews have been mixed, some critics feel the series has loads of potential. “If Sunnyside leans into spontaneity and surprises-just as Community quickly turned away from Britta and Jeff to focus on the most chemistry-laden couple on the show, Troy and Abed-then it could evolve into a show worth sticking with,” wrote AV Club‘s Sulagna Misra.
Robert Rorke of the New York Post wrote, “With his easy charm, smart script and diverse cast, [Kal] Penn may help the network deliver something that’s been eluding it—a comedy that’s timely and winning.”
Penn has also appeared on the Netflix drama Designated Survivor and is known for his roles on House, How I Met Your Mother, and the Harold and Kumar franchise. He will write and executive produce Sunnyside along with Matt Murray. Michael Schur is on board as supervising executive producer. David Miner and Dan Spilo are additional executive producers.