As a child, I grew up watching sitcoms like “George Lopez” and “Family Matters.” Back then, I noticed that they were different on two levels. I realized that they were not the typical “Dick and Jane” type of characters. Yet, they were different from me. Growing up, I and other Asian-Americans had limited roles in media and entertainment — we didn’t have anyone with whom we could identify.
This was after Margaret Cho’s controversial “All-American Girl” series and some Jackie Chan films here and there. At the same time, this was before the rise of actors like John Cho, Lucy Liu and Steven Yuen.
The attempt at casting an Asian-American romantic lead in “Selfie” was all but half a promise after it was canceled after a mere 13 episodes. Still, 2015 looks bright with the premiere of “Fresh Off the Boat” and rumors of Ken Jeong getting his own show.
Hailed as a groundbreaking moment for Asian in media, the show has faced negativity from many people. To make matters worse, the show faced criticism from Eddie Huang, whose life served as “inspiration” for the show. I, too, met this show with skepticism. After all, Asian-American characters have limited roles on screen that do not fall within stereotypical — often racist — parameters.
However, as I watched the show, it evoked nostalgic warmth within me. The warmth was not completely pleasant: it was a mix of empathetic memories and heated anger. That was the charm of the show. The show effectively and subtly captures the real issues that first-generation Chinese-American children face. The producer’s attention to detail captures the many understated aspects of Chinese-American life: eating hearty Chinese breakfasts, navigating grocery store shopping and bearing through the dreaded Chinese Learning Center.
Though the show was peppered with some good laughs, it also delved into some harder issues. The overall theme of the show is the difficulty of acclimating to American culture. Randall Park plays a father who struggles with maintaining a risky business. This presents itself not only as a situational issue, but also a cultural one; wealth is a symbol of fortune and well-being, and as such becomes a competition between the siblings. Constance Wu’s character is portrayed as a “tiger mom,” whose strict upbringing aims to rear children prepared for the macabre of the American world.
Her stern nature acts as a facade for her maternal love. “I love you” is rarely uttered in a Chinese household. Actions take place of the worlds. Simple gestures like an extra piece of chicken at dinner and gentle pushes are signs of a Chinese parent’s love.
The children struggle with their identities. Rooted in the complex and confrontational Asian-American identity, they learn to navigate American culture through trial and error. Similarly, that is how Asian-Americans in this generation learned to grow up. To see a story about this experience on the screen speaks volumes of how far Asian-Americans have come, but this is not enough. “Fresh Off the Boat” might be a promise, but to survive on screen is another challenge.
I only hope that this generation will be able to watch this show and have something to relate to. Hudson Yang, who portrays a young Eddie Huang, said in the first episode, “if you were an outsider, hip was your anthem.” That was the case in 1995, but perhaps this series will be the anthem in 2015.
