Asian presence increases in streaming movies and series, but it's not enough

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Compared to the mid-20th century when television was dominated by the three main national networks ABC, NBC and CBS, there are a hella lot more Asians on US TV these days. That's progress of a sort. At least, that's better than zero.

The undeniable success in recent years of Crazy Rich Asians, The Farewell and Everything Everywhere All At Once brought Asian talent into the spotlight and uncovered a treasure trove of rich stories of Asians and Asian Americans if, and that's a big "if," Hollywood decision-makers decide to stray from the safety of the tried and tired stories of yesteryear.

Despite the increased number of Asian characters, overcoming stereotypes is still harder to achieve, according to a joint study, Asian Representation in Streaming Conteny, by the USC Norman Lear Center and Gold House, an nonprofit watchdog and advocate pertaining to Asians in entertainment.

Historically, Asian Americans have been underrepresented across broadcast television, cable, and film. When they do appear, it has often been in stereotypical ways, such as the model minority or the skilled martial arts fighter.

        FYI: Read the entire report here.

Gone are the days when poor Hop Sing on Bonanza was the only Asian male on the networks and Mrs. Livingston in The Courtship of Eddie's Father was the only Asian female. The nonentity of that character played by Victor Sen Yung and the timidity of the Asian nanny/maid Miyoshi Umeki has been replaced by a new set of stereotypes, but stereotypes, nonetheless.

Lotus Blossom, the model minority, the emasculated Asian male and the martial arts fighter has been joined by slightly more nuanced stereotypes. The USC study took 99 characters portrayed by Asian actors on the streaming networks' series or movies and found that 12 common stereotypes emerged:

• Perpetual foreigner
• Model minority
• Martial arts warrior
• Bad driver
• Tragic hero
• Criminal (organized crime)
• Sidekick
• Lotus blossom
• Tiger mom
• Dragon lady
• Himbo
• Emasculated man

Despite the tendency to lean on the stereotypes, the characters studied in today's streaming networks tried to stray away from the azy depictions of Asians. "Our findings show progress with regards to casting Asian characters outside of tokenized or stereotypical roles," cites the study. 

Previous research on Asian representations has focused on either the quantity of speaking and lead roles or the quality of depictions in theatrical films or linear television. The new study, conducted in collaboration with Gold House, fills in the gap by looking at the quality of Asian portrayals in streaming content (both film and TV).

Out of th 99 characters analyzed, 82%  of the roles played by Asian actors don't make race a central part of the character. While the lack of racial background nonracial may be interpreted as a good thing, it can also be a detriment to fully developing a three-dimensional character. 

 “We hear from many actors who express a strong desire to move beyond roles and storylines only centered on their race — to play multidimensional characters that can be just as funny, flawed, or inspirational as anyone else and just so happen to be Asian,” Tiffany Chao, vice president of entertainment and media at Gold House, told Variety. “Race-agnostic roles should not come at the expense of cultural authenticity. That is a false binary. We hope to see more stories that feature the full range of the Asian diaspora’s experiences.”

Examples of "race-agnostic" portrayals include (from left) actors Ming Na Wen in "The Book of Boba Fett,",Will Sharpe in "White Lotus" and Simone Ashley in "Bridgerton."

Very few characters were defined by their race or characterized by Asian identity to the exclusion of other characteristics.

Some of the "race-agnostic" roles include: Lara Jean in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before; Eve in Killing Eve; Ingrid in Partner Track) or not at all (e.g., Diane in The Night Agent; Kate in Bridgerton. 

“The results from this study underscore the importance of incorporating both cultural specificity and multidimensionality in designing Asian characters,” Chao, told The Wrap.

Examples of the roles that managed to accomplish race-specificity include:

• Devi in Never Have I Ever (2020-2023) is a 17-year-old Indian American high school girl who navigates complexities of adolescence, cultural identity, and the recent loss of her father. 

• Evelyn in Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) is a Chinese American immigrant running a laundromat while caring for her ailing father and struggling to maintain a close relationship with her American daughter and distant husband. 

• Danny in Beef (2023) is a second-generation Korean American, grappling with financial challenges after his parents returned to Korea when their motel business failed. 

• Thony in The Cleaning Lady (2022) is a Cambodian doctor who leaves her home in the Philippines to pursue critical medical treatment for her son in the United States. When the American immigration system fails her, she is forced into hiding and left to navigate life as an undocumented worker. 

The study found progress in regards to casting Asian characters outside of tokenized or stereotypical roles, but the characters lack depth and background. Researchers concluded that much more can be done to capture the nuance and range of experiences within Asian American communities. The report includes recommendations for storytellers and decision makers in the entertainment industry.

The researchers found that there is a tendency for the Asian roles to be White dependent. Of the roles studied, 90% were light-skinned Asians.

The study's findings show definite progress with regards to casting Asian characters outside of tokenized or stereotypical roles. 

In fact, researchers found that among 99 major Asian characters, there was little evidence of many historical tropes and stereotypes (the lotus blossom, the perpetual foreigner) while others were entirely absent (the himbo, the bad driver). 

This may be due, in part, on the studiy's focus on major characters. Because major characters have more time on-screen throughout the duration of a TV series or film, they likely have more elaborate backstories and character arcs. Minor characters, on the other hand, may be more susceptible to reductive stereotypes or tropes. 

Despite the increase of roles played by Asian actorss, the majority of characters were race-agnostic (82%), meaning race or ethnicity was mentioned only briefly or not at all. Along these same lines, only 24% of characters were explicitly identified as having a heritage associated with a particular Asian country.

However, not all Asian characters were equally likely to be depicted in these roles. Light- and medium-skinned characters were more likely to be race-agnostic, whereas portrayals of darker-skinned Asians were more likely to center race. Only 13% had a  darker complexion.

The apparent progress is somewhat muted upon closer examination.  The results  indicate that there is a meaningful risk of casting Asian actors in roles that emphasize proximity to whiteness rather than authentic cultural specificity. 

Asian characters were also shown in close proximity to whiteness, with two in three never speaking to another Asian character. 

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Producer Mindy Kaling gave us Devi, left, one of the most complex and imperfect Asian American characters on US television, but at the series' conclusion, she chose the White love interest.

In most productions, of the Asian women characters studied, most were shown to be attracted to White men. Nineteen Asian female roles were shown as the love interest of someone else, 53% of which were white men.

Yes, there are more Asian representation in Hollywood productions, but there's a caveat, several caveats, actually. Within the top-grossing films, the proportion of speaking characters who are Asian has increased dramatically in recent years. Between 2007 and 2019, this percentage ranged from 3.4% to 8.2%, and increased to 16.2% between 2019 and 2022.

Despite the increased representation in speaking roles, the report found that Asian actors remain underrepresented in leading roles in both theatrical (2.3%) and streaming films (2.0%). Similarly, Asian Americans are underrepresented in leading roles on scripted television. Although they make up 7% of the US population, in 2022 these communities accounted for only 3.8% of lead roles on broadcast TV, 3.2% on streaming, and 1.9% on cable.

It may seem that Hollywood is finally opening its doors wide to Asian American creatives but in reality, the doors are only creaking open. That's because there was such a scarcity of roles for Asians prior to 2018 when Crazy Rich Asians' critical and box office success opened the eyes of studio decision makers.

Therein lies the major part of the problem. The USC/Gold House study found that the inclusion of more rounded Asian characters are more likely when Asians are involved as producers, directors and showrunners.  Unfortunately, about 80% of the Hollywood gatekeepers are White men and women reluctant to give up their power posts. 

“This study was an opportunity to take a deep dive into the quality of prominent Asian roles, and our results underscore the importance of nuance in the discussions we have around representation,” senior researcher Soraya Giaccardi said in a statement. “Avoiding tropes and stereotypes by simply erasing cultural specificity only continues to obscure the full breadth and diversity of the Asian diaspora.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.