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SCREEN CAPTURE
Jamie Chung portrays an inhuman in the Fox Network's "The Gifted." |
IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR, a new television season is upon us which launches the annual search for Asians on TV.
The last two years have been kind of a Golden Age for AAPI television history: five network shows with Asian American leads and three more on the alternative stations, Netflix and Hulu. In addition, there were perhaps a half-dozen shows wherein AAPI actors were in secondary, but prominent, roles.
This year, it appears that a pause button has been hit. AAPI in the new shows are relegated to the usual best friend, computer wonder, or smart aleck sidekick, or just hanging around in the background with not a whole lot to do except look busy.
Hopefully, it is just a blip in as Hollywood's profit-motive driven decision makers recognize the changing demographics as they let go of old prejudices against actors of color, in general, and AAPI actors in particular.
The Emmy victories for Riz Ahmed for best actor and Aziz Ansari for writing could be an aberration, or it could be the door creaking open for more opportunities for actors of Asian descent depending on whether you're a cynic or an optimist.
Let's start with the newbies:
The Gifted, Fox
Jamie Chung may have the biggest role of her career as she plays Blink, one of Marvel's superheroes in The Gifted, that premieres Monday, Oct. 2 on the Fox network. She isn't a sidekick but she is part of the team of humans who have special powers trying to escape the normal humans' fear of "others."
9JKL, CBS
Liza Lapira return to series TV is a welcome sight. She'll play Eve, wife of one of the primary leads' in 9JKL, perhaps the most awkward title this year. Cast in a secondary role, there's a good chance Lapira's role could grow pretty significantly if her character catches on with the audience. She will be joined by Albert Tsai, formerly from the cancelled Dr. Ken.
Marvel's Inhumans, ABC, Fridays,
Not to be confused with The Gifted (See above), Ken Leung will have a prominent role as Karnak, who has the ability see the fault in all things (who would want that power?) He will be joined by Sonya Balmores, a former Miss Hawaii, whose father is Filipino. She plays Auran, head of the king's royal guard.
Rise, NBC midseason
Moana's Auli'i Cravalho will make her network debut in the drama series about a high school teacher and his class of talented wannabe actors. Think Glee without the songs, or The Bad News Bears on stage instead of the baseball diamond. I wouldn't be surprised if the talented Hawaiian teenager isn't given a chance to sing a song or two.
Hopefully, it is just a blip in as Hollywood's profit-motive driven decision makers recognize the changing demographics as they let go of old prejudices against actors of color, in general, and AAPI actors in particular.
The Emmy victories for Riz Ahmed for best actor and Aziz Ansari for writing could be an aberration, or it could be the door creaking open for more opportunities for actors of Asian descent depending on whether you're a cynic or an optimist.
RELATED: Wave of new AAPI roles continues into 2016 television seasonAt any rate, if you're an AAPI viewer - and studies show that there is a lot of us - looking for someone on TV who looks like you, you'll find it easier than three years ago, but you still have to look pretty hard.
Let's start with the newbies:
The Gifted, Fox
Jamie Chung may have the biggest role of her career as she plays Blink, one of Marvel's superheroes in The Gifted, that premieres Monday, Oct. 2 on the Fox network. She isn't a sidekick but she is part of the team of humans who have special powers trying to escape the normal humans' fear of "others."
9JKL, CBS
Liza Lapira return to series TV is a welcome sight. She'll play Eve, wife of one of the primary leads' in 9JKL, perhaps the most awkward title this year. Cast in a secondary role, there's a good chance Lapira's role could grow pretty significantly if her character catches on with the audience. She will be joined by Albert Tsai, formerly from the cancelled Dr. Ken.
Marvel's Inhumans, ABC, Fridays,
Not to be confused with The Gifted (See above), Ken Leung will have a prominent role as Karnak, who has the ability see the fault in all things (who would want that power?) He will be joined by Sonya Balmores, a former Miss Hawaii, whose father is Filipino. She plays Auran, head of the king's royal guard.
Rise, NBC midseason
Moana's Auli'i Cravalho will make her network debut in the drama series about a high school teacher and his class of talented wannabe actors. Think Glee without the songs, or The Bad News Bears on stage instead of the baseball diamond. I wouldn't be surprised if the talented Hawaiian teenager isn't given a chance to sing a song or two.
The Resident, Fox midseason
Manish Dayal is the lead actor in this medical drama about a an idealistic young doctor learning the real-world ropes from a tough, seasoned older doctor. The Indian American actor was last seen in Halt & Catch Fire.
Reverie, NBC midseason
This show is an oddity in that it has two (count them, TWO) Asian Americcans in its cast. Most shows have only a quota of one Asian American cast member as a limit (OK,we've met our quota) and rarely go beyond that. Sarah Shahi and Jessica Lu are featured in this detective thriller with virtual reality the added twist.
The Good Doctor (CBS)
with Irene Keng and Tamlyn Tomita. Tomita has been made a regular cast member as the COP of the hospital board in this series. Although originated in Korea and executive produced by Daniel Dae Kim, it's too bad there isn't a greater presence of Asian American medical staff
Alex, Inc. ABC, midseason
Tiya SIrcar is in her biggest role yet in her career. The Indian/American actress plays the wife of the title character in the sitcom. They have two children who are, naturally, hapas.
The Crossing (ABC, midsesason)
Sandrine Holt stars in the current U.S. anti-refugee policy and turns it upside down 250 years in the future when Americans are the refugees.
Champions (NBC midseason)
is a sitcom centering around a fitness center and the eternal sophmores who operate it. The reason is listed here is because Mindy Kaling will have a recurring role. Kaling will have all the time in the world with the end of The Mindy Project.
The Exorcist (Fox)
John Cho, (formerly of the ill-fated Selfie) will be a series regular for at least one season, the show's second. One of the children that he cares for shows signs of being possessed and the priests go to his school to try and exorcize the demons from the youngster.
The Good Doctor (CBS)
with Irene Keng and Tamlyn Tomita. Tomita has been made a regular cast member as the COP of the hospital board in this series. Although originated in Korea and executive produced by Daniel Dae Kim, it's too bad there isn't a greater presence of Asian American medical staff
Alex, Inc. ABC, midseason
Tiya SIrcar is in her biggest role yet in her career. The Indian/American actress plays the wife of the title character in the sitcom. They have two children who are, naturally, hapas.
The Crossing (ABC, midsesason)
Sandrine Holt stars in the current U.S. anti-refugee policy and turns it upside down 250 years in the future when Americans are the refugees.
Champions (NBC midseason)
is a sitcom centering around a fitness center and the eternal sophmores who operate it. The reason is listed here is because Mindy Kaling will have a recurring role. Kaling will have all the time in the world with the end of The Mindy Project.
The Exorcist (Fox)
John Cho, (formerly of the ill-fated Selfie) will be a series regular for at least one season, the show's second. One of the children that he cares for shows signs of being possessed and the priests go to his school to try and exorcize the demons from the youngster.
Star Trek: Discovery, CBS All Access
Michelle Yeoh stars in Star Trek Discovery, in which she plays a starship captain, a prominent role - but not the lead. The problem is that except for the premiere, the rest of the episodes can only be seen an CBS All Access. I dunno if Star Trek fans, who are known for their extreme loyalty will fork over the extra dollars for a streaming service they don't need.
The new scripted shows are in addition to the returning TV series that feature AAPI actors in lead or recurring roles, including:
Michelle Yeoh stars in Star Trek Discovery, in which she plays a starship captain, a prominent role - but not the lead. The problem is that except for the premiere, the rest of the episodes can only be seen an CBS All Access. I dunno if Star Trek fans, who are known for their extreme loyalty will fork over the extra dollars for a streaming service they don't need.
The new scripted shows are in addition to the returning TV series that feature AAPI actors in lead or recurring roles, including:
- Fresh Off the Boat (ABC) with Constance Wu, Randall Park, Hudson Yang, Forest Wheeler, Ian Chen and Lucille Soong.
- Quantico (ABC) with Priyanka Chopra in the lead in the series about FBI newbies.
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC) with Ming Na-Wen and Chloe Bennett as primary characters in show based in the Marvel super-hero universe.
- Andi Mack (Disney) with Lauren Tom, Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Lilan Bowden in the family drama.
- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW) with Vincent Rodriguez III as the lead love interest Josh Chan. Occasionally, his (fictional) Filipino/American family will appear in the romantic comedy musical.
- Elementary (CBS) with Lucy Liu as the indomitable Dr. Watson in the 21st version of Sherlock Holmes.
- Chicago Med (NBC) Hooray! At last a medical drama with an Asian/American doctor played by Brian Tee.
- Into the Badlands (Netflix) with Daniel Wu and Aramis Knight in the martial arts dystopian adventure series
- Hawaii Five-0 (CBS) will introduce new AAPI characters played by Meaghan Rath, Beulah Koale and Ian Anthony Dale to replace the popular Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park, both who left the show in a storm of controversy.
- Superstore (NBC) features Nico Santos, fresh from filming the movie of Crazy Rich Asians, and hapa Nicole Bloom as part of the team of wacky store employees.
- The Good Place (NBC) introduced FilAm comedian Manny Jacinto to American audiences in the offbeat comedy based in a weird - but funny - version of heaven.
- Designated Survivor (ABC) with Kal Penn and Maggie Q in the political thriller.
- Scorpion (CBS) Jadyn Wong continues to outsmart the bad guys as Happy Quinn.
- The Mindy Project (Hulu) Alas, this is the last season of the groundbreaking comedy starring Mindy Kaling.
Here's hoping:
- Brown Nation (Netflix) is an American comedy-drama series looking at the immigrant experience. It stars Shenaz Treasury, Omi Vaidya, Remy Munasifi and Melanie Chandra. Though a critical favorite, a second season has not yet been announced.
- Master of None (Netflix) with Aziz Ansari. There's a demand for the 3rd season but the creators Ansari and Alan Yang have danced around when (and if) there will be a third season for one of the most original series on TV.
The list is longer than last year. At first glance, it may appear that there is a strong AAPI presence on television. However, the shows listed here are just a drop in the bucket considering there are about 450 shows on TV and cable networks. A recent study shows that most of character parts given to AAPI actors are token roles or not of significance to the plot.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Updated Oct. 12 9:15 p.m. to include 'The Exorcist' and 'Scorpion.' I may be adding to this list. Check back later.
CORRECTION: Earlier versions of this post misidentified the accompanying photo.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Updated Oct. 12 9:15 p.m. to include 'The Exorcist' and 'Scorpion.' I may be adding to this list. Check back later.
CORRECTION: Earlier versions of this post misidentified the accompanying photo.
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