Fall TV season is "revolutionary" for Asian Americans

Will the American public be able to relate to this Asian-American family in "Fresh Off the Boat?"

A LOT OF BUZZ has been given to "FOB: Fresh Off the Boat," a situation comedy TV show, because fit features an Asian-American family as its lead characters. There's a lot riding on the show: If its successful, great! But if it fails, it will be a long, long time before any television network takes a chance on a show focusing on Asians again.

The last time a network aired a show with Asian leads was the ill-fated Margaret Cho series "All-American Girl." That was 20 years ago.

Still, here's hoping that FOB is funny enough, that it's humor and situations are universal enough to appeal beyond the Asian-American community. A premier date has yet to be announced but it could be early 2015.

2014-2015 could very well be a watershed year for minorities on television. There will be more African Americans and Latinos too. In other words, TV producers have discovered the new America. Besides the big three networks, the other independent networks will feature Asian and other minority actors in roles that could help break down the stereotypes that television has forced down our throats.

As much as I'm pulling for FOB, the one show that I hope is a whopping success is "Selfie," a take-off on the Pygmalion story: how a mentor transforms a young woman into a more complete, less self-absorbed and interesting human being.  

John Cho takes on the Henry Higgins role as a marketing guru. He is best known for his role as the young Dr. Sulu in the new Star Trek movies and whose career really blasted off playing half of the Harold & Kumar stoner franchise.

If the Eliza Doolittle/Henry Higgins story plays out as it did in "My Fair Lady," then Cho and his co-star, played by Scottish actress Karen Gillan, eventually end up in a romantic relationship. That -- my friends -- would be truly historic. 

"Walking Dead's" Steven Yeun and Lauren Cohen,
 love lives on in the zombie apocalypse.

Romantic roles for Asian males are extremely rare and if -- and I emphasize "if" -- the relationship develops, he would be the first Asian male lead actor to kiss a non-Asian woman on American television.

In an interview in "The Star," Cho said: "Asians narratively in shows are insignificant. They're the cop, the waitress, or whatever it is. You see them in the background. So to be in this position ... is a bit of a landmark ... revolutionary." 

I don't mean to take anything away from the end-of-the-world relationship of Steven Yeun whose character Glenn is involved with Maggie, played by Lauren Cohen, in the "Walking Dead." The difference is but their "Walking Dead" characters are supporting roles in the ensemble drama, whereas Cho and Gillan are the the "stars." Besides, its not like there's a whole lot of choice for Maggie. Glenn is the only guy near her own age whose not a zombie. However, their devotion to each other is inspiring in the zombie apocalypse. (Get your keyboards ready social networkers because there are rumors flying about that the Glenn character - the last Asian American in the world - won't survive this season.) 

As mentioned before on this blog, American popular media has portrayed Asian males as emasculated, uninteresting, unattractive, comedic characters. In the few roles where Asian males are strong characters, they never get the girl in the end. Think about it: Jet Li, Jackie Chan and even the magnificent Bruce Lee -- all who had plenty of macho charisma -- failed to get even a sisterly peck on the cheek from the heroine.

Mindy Kaling has a hit with
"The Mindy Project"

I can't tell you how heavy that neutered caricature weighs on the psyche of Asian males.

"The Mindy Project," starring Mindy Kaling is back for a third season. Even though the show is known in some circles as "How To Date White Guys," it is enjoying critical and popular praise. It's funny, has good writing and has an appealing cast.

The beautiful Maggie Q's series "Nikita" ended last season. The good news is that she is back with a new series called "Stalkers." She plays a kick-ass detective seeking out - you guessed it -- stalkers.

Kal Penn, John Cho's partner in crime in Henry & Kumar, etc, also won a part in a series called "Battle Creek," where he is featured one of a cadre of detectives. Detectives are big this year, apparently.

"Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." is returning for a second season, which is good news for, Ming Na-Wen and Chloe Bennett. They save the world.

Reggie Lee, who plays Sgt. Wu in "Grimm" was born in the Philippines and was responsible for having a Filipino storyline in one of their episodes last year. He helps save the world.

It's no surprise that the show with the most 
Asians is "Hawaii 5-0." With Asians, Pacific Islanders and Hapas (mixed race) comprising 70 percent of Hawaii's population, it would be a major blunder, not to mention "unconscionable," if Asians were not heavily represented in 5-0's cast. Thankfully, the producers agreed. That's why we have costars Daniel Dae Kim, Grace Park, Masi Oki and Mark Descascos and recurring roles for Teila Tuli, Ian Anthony Dale, Brian Yang and Dennis Chun, not to mention a host of extras every week along with the the sugar cane fields, palm trees and beaches of Hawaii. That's a winning formula. They are detectives AND they save the world. 

And just for fun, check out "Amazing Race" which has two - count them - two Asian couples on the reality show. It is not unusual for reality shows like "Amazing Race" "Survivor" or the singing competitions to have an obligatory Asian but it is unusual to have two - count them - two entries to cheer for.

This is not a complete list, but you should be getting the picture. This is a comparatively good year for diversity on television.

Dino-Ray Ramos, who writes a TV blog, does a pretty good job listing all the Fall shows featuring Asians and Pacific Islanders. Those shows include "Glee," which may be in its last season, "The Good Wife," "Parks & Recreation," and "Beauty and the Beast."

We shouldn't be complacent and think that with more Asian representation on TV, diversity on television is no longer a problem. The number of minorities on television is so dismal - Asians being the most under-represented - is so abysmally tiny, that any increase of our presence on TV can be seen as an improvement (like this year). That doesn't mean we should sit back and relax. There is plenty of room for improvement. With the departure of Sandra Oh from "Grey's Anatomy," it means the Seattle hospital no longer has any Asian medical staff. How real is that? In fact, any hospital-based show without Asians should be a target of our social network wrath.

Hopefully, the network honchos who green light projects are getting the picture, too. More  diversity means more viewership. Advertisers like lots of viewers. It's a business, you know.

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