BREAKING GROUND
Asians have been one of the most under-represented groups in film and television. But there have been strides made in the last few years. Here are a few shows that have made a difference or are about to.
All American Girl (1994)
Comic Margaret Cho’s sitcom was groundbreaking for having an Asian lead. Cho played the rebellious daughter of a strict Korean-American family. The show only made it one season and Cho blamed network executives for trying to make her material more palatable to mainstream audiences.
Fresh Off the Boat (2015)
It took 20 years for networks to launch another Asian American sitcom after All American Girl. This time, it’s about an Asian family living in Orlando, Fla. and based on the life of Vice host and chef Eddie Huang. Huang criticized the show before it aired saying, like Margaret Cho, that the series did not accurately reflect his life. Still, the show has been a hit for ABC and has been renewed for a third season.
Dr. Ken (2015)
Featuring comedian Ken Jeong ( The
Hangover), it looks at the lives of a Korean American family. It’s also likely the first time that a real life doctor (Jeong) has played a doctor in a sitcom. The show could use a few more laughs, and at times seems blandly generic, but it has been renewed for a second season.
Master of None (2015)
Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang’s masterful send-up forms a modern, diverse ensemble comedy. Ansari plays an actor who is best known for a Go-Gurt commercial. Which, in itself, is funny.
Blood and Water (2015)
The first drama by Canadian broadcaster OMNI to feature a mostly Asian cast speaking in English, Mandarin and Chinese is a bold, if not completely satisfying experiment. The crime-drama set in Vancouver looks at the death of the son of a billionaire real estate developer and has been renewed for a second season.
Kim’s Convenience (2016)
The Soulpepper theatre hit by Ins Choi has been turned into a sitcom for the CBC to be launched for the fall television season. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee reprises his Toronto theatre role as the head of a family who has a convenience store in Toronto’s Regent Park neighbourhood.