 |
| The Huang family will come back in the second season of Fresh Off the Boat. |
FRESH OFF THE BOAT, the landmark TV situation comedy featuring an Asian American immigrant family has been renewed for a second season by ABC.
Despite a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and ratings that hovered in the 1.5-2.0 range throughout the season, fans of FOtB were nervous about the series' future.
The show about a Taiwanese American family adjusting to life in Orlando, Florida had garnered good reviews from critics but to members of the Asian American community, the show was more important as a cultural barometer of how Asian Americans could be accepted in America. Would American audiences accept Asians as relatable characters? Would it open their eyes to the problems immigrants have in this country?
Considering the last show that attempted to break that barrier, Margaret Cho's All American Girl, failed and was 20 years ago, FOtB's success was a good indication of how far this country has come in two decades.
The show was seriously criticized by its creator, Eddie Huang, whose memoirs the show is (very) loosely based as being so white-washed that it was unrecognizable as his life story.
At least, we'll have another season on which to ponder these questions. We hope the show moves toward's the tone of Huang's original memoir and becomes more edgy without losing the first season's audience. It can become darker without losing any of its laughs.
First off: The writers need to realize that the Huang family is not the Partridge family.
Secondly: The fish-out-of-water premise is not enough. The show needs to incorporate an underlying message about how wrong the anti-immigrant view is, That rare category of a having a serious message within a comedic context is not without precedent.
The anti-war classic, M*A*S*H, dealt with death and pathos and it was one of the highest rated shows and critically acclaimed series TV has ever produced. Yet - and yet - it is described as a comedy.
All In The Family starred one of America's biggest bigots, and it still managed to get its anti-bigotry message across with laughter.
It's a balancing act between message and laughs without being heavy handed. It may be more difficult to attain, but it can be done. If done right, it can spell the difference between being ordinary and greatness.
RELATED:
No comments:
Post a Comment