'Andi Mack's' last season features ups and downs of those emotional and formative 'tween years

The cast of 'Andi Mack' says goodbye.

Its too bad that Andi Mack was aired only on the Disney Channel because it deserves a bigger audience. In its too-short three seasons, about average for a Disney show, the coming-of-age series dared to tackle topics other shows aimed at the crucial so-called tween years steered away from.

Not only did the show center around an Asian American family, it also made history by featuring an openly gay character.

Along with including a gay character, Andi Mack excels in other areas of representation and inclusion as well. As one Twitter user pointed out, it includes storylines on anxiety, Jewish culture, teen pregnancy, learning disabilities, and much more. This was no accident; Disney is well aware of the need for messages of inclusion.

As spokesperson for the network told Variety, "Andy Mac is a story about ‘tweens’ figuring out who they are; (showrunner) Terri Minsky, the cast and everyone involved in the show takes great care in ensuring that it’s appropriate for all audiences and send a powerful message about inclusion and respect for humanity."

That was the key: Respect. The series showed that relationships don't have to be poisonous; that you don't have to bring anybody down in order to feel good about yourself; and the value of real friends who love you for who you are, not what you aren't.

The cast has known since last year that the season they were taping was the last one. It seems to be Disney policy: Don't let the shows outgrow its audience. The popular Lizzie McGuire and Boy Meets World met similar fates.

Peyton Elizabeth Lee, who plays the titular Andi Mack, gave Hollywood Life an idea what the final season is about. She said that as the relationships fall apart “the characters start to see what really matters and really start to understand that undying love that’s at the foundation of all the relationships. So through those struggles and the hardships in the relationships, they really find the heart and soul of every one of the relationships.” She also revealed that fans will see “a lot of the characters developing relationships with new characters.”

In other words, the show tells its youthful audience that life isn't like a TV show where everybody lives happily ever after. But life's ups and downs are only temporary and one can survive and life goes on.

"I really feel like Andi Mack has done such a good job of letting kids know that it’s really okay to be themselves," says Lilan Bowden, who plays Andi's mother. "I really hope that we remind people that hardships mean you can be okay with yourself, grow up, and be okay with your circumstances. I hope these last episodes give fans the feeling of acceptance and love."

If only a show like Andi Mack was around when I was in 6th and 7th grade. All the awkwardness and emotional roller coasters of those years might have been easier to take.

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Beyond 'Fresh Off the Boat:' Two shows expand image of Asian Americans.

The cast of 'Superstore.'

ASAM NEWS & Views From the Edge

TWO TELEVISION SERIES showcasing Asian/Americans have received word that they have been renewed for the next season, Andi Mack and Superstore.

Both of the shows depict Asian/Americans complement ABC's historic Fresh Off the Boat that plays to mainstream audiences by showing different aspects of the Asian/American character.

A show arguably under the Asian/American community’s radar, but with a diverse AAPI cast, has been renewed for a fourth season, reports Cinema Blend

NBC's Superstore features Nico Santos as Mateo, an undocumented gay Filipino man working in a Walmart-like department store.

Also integral to Superstoreis Nichole Bloom as Cheyenne, a teen mom with a gift for gab. Bloom is Japanese and Irish.

Others on the cast include Kaliko Kauahi as Sandra, a Hawaiian native with a knack for lying.

Jon Miyahara plays the role of Brett, a dedicated worker with the respect of his co-workers.

A recent article in the Village Voice proclaimed in a bold headline that “Superstore expands TVs understanding of all that Asian American characters can be.”

What other TV show has a main character who is also undocumented. It would have been easy to make that character Hispanic. The choice to make the undocumented role Filipino clearly went against the grain of audience expectations.

Mateo also happens to be gay. While gay representation has increased in recent years, such characters are definitely not numerous on TV or even on the big screen.

Superstore’s diverse cast, the show’s central character Amy is played by America Ferrara, a Honduran American, is clearly catching on.

In its third season, Superstore is  growing its audience. Ratings are up six percent over the last year in the 18-49 demographic and is NBC’s number 1 comedy on digital platforms.

The cast of 'Andi Mack' keeping it real.

The critically acclaimed Andi Mack on the Disney Channel has remarkable success with its target audience, tweens, young teens and pre-teens. Like the successful Fresh Off the Boat, Andi Mack tells its stories from an Asian/American perspective. The Mack family, however, is racially mixed with half-Asian/half-white actors playing the lead roles.

It's a complicated relationship between lead character Andi, played by Peyton Elizabeth Lee, and her birth mother Bex, portrayed by Lilian Bowden, who she was raised believe was her sister. And the woman she thought was her mother (Lauren Tom) turns out to be her grandmother.

The beauty of the coming-of-age show is that even though it is a product of squeaky-clean Disney, it is not afraid to tackle out-of-wedlock birth as a storyline. Last season, it also had a main character come out as gay to his clique of diverse friends. 

Keep in mind, the audience is primarily young teenagers but the issues it confronts are real life problems faced by today's tweens. (FYI: FOtB also had a main character come out as lesbian this season.) Despite the controversial topics (or, perhap because of it) the formula has been successful, Andi Mack ranked as the No. 1 TV telecast in the timeslot across youth demos (Kids 6-11 and Kids 6-14) and was the No. 1 cable TV telecast in total viewers.
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