TGIF Feature: Beauty products manufacturer rebranding skin care products in wake of Black Lives Matter demonstrations

Lighter skin actresses have an advantage in the Philippines' movie-making industry.

Who would have though that the death of a black man in Minneapolis would have such a worldwide impact and trigger a series of seemingly unrelated societal changes that may indicate a worldwide cultural shift on the concept of beauty?

George Floyd's horrible videotaped death triggered worldwide protests against inequitable justice and, in general, a loud outcry against all forms of racism that through the centuries have been imbedded in institutions and cultures.

When Bollywood actresses, including Priyanka Chopra Jonas, added their voices against racism and support of the Black Lives Matter movement, they were accused for their apparent hypocrisy for enjoying the benefits of "colorism" for the roles they were awarded.  

The Bollywood actresses were also criticized for promoting products that were based on the "colorism" that placed  a higher value of light-skin over dark-skin.

That debate has been going on for years in Asia -- from South Asia to East Asia -- where the preference for light skin was explained away as a cultural/class value because dark skin meant the person worked under the sun in the fields. 

Some Asian countries such as India, Vietnam and the Philippines, were affected by centuries of European and US imperialism that imposed the desire for lighter skin tones. 

Amid the growing global awareness of racism spurred by the killing of Floyd and the Black Matters Movement, the attacks against colorism appear to be gaining some traction from unexpected sources, including beauty product manufacturers.

Unilever announced Thursday (June 25) the next step in the evolution of its skin care portfolio to a more inclusive vision of beauty – which includes the removal of the words ‘fair/fairness’, ‘white/whitening’, and ‘light/lightening’ from its products’ packs and communication. As part of this decision, the Fair & Lovely brand name will be changed in the next few months.

Sunny Jain, Unilever's president of Beauty & Personal.

Sunny Jain, Beauty & Personal Care president, explains, “We are fully committed to having a global portfolio of skin care brands that is inclusive and cares for all skin tones, celebrating greater diversity of beauty. We recognize that the use of the words ‘fair’, ‘white’ and ‘light’ suggest a singular ideal of beauty that we don’t think is right, and we want to address this. As we’re evolving the way that we communicate the skin benefits of our products that deliver radiant and even tone skin, it’s also important to change the language we use.”

“We have been working on the evolution of our Fair & Lovely brand, which is sold across Asia, progressively moving to a more inclusive vision of beauty that celebrates skin glow. We have changed the advertising, communication and – more recently – the packaging in South Asia, and we think it’s important that we now share the next step that we have been working on: changing the brand name. We will also continue to evolve our advertising, to feature women of different skin tones, representative of the variety of beauty across India and other countries. We want Fair & Lovely to become a brand that celebrates glowing and radiant skin, regardless of skin tone,” adds Jain.

Unilever’s ”Fair & Lovely” brand dominates the market in South Asia, while similar products are sold by L’Oréal and Procter & Gamble. Amid Black Lives Matter protests in recent weeks, a number of the businesses are heavily criticized for selling products promoting colorism, or discrimination supported complexion.

The brand’s advertising has been changing since 2014, to a message of women empowerment. Fair & Lovely upholds principles that no association should be made between skin tone and a person’s achievement, potential or worth. Unilever is aware that historic advertising is available on the internet; these ads are not aligned with the current values of the brand, adds the company in a statement. 

A Unilever ad in India plays off a cultural value by implycing the effect of one of its skin products

In 2019, Unilever reflected this evolution on the Fair & Lovely pack in India, removing before-and-after impressions and shade guides that could indicate a transformation; and we have progressed all communication of product benefits towards glow, even tone, skin clarity and radiance.

As part of this journey to embrace and reflect a more inclusive vision of beauty, the next significant step is to update its brand name, which will be shared once several legal and regulatory requirements are met in each country where the brand is available. This registration process is already underway, and we expect to be able to unveil the new brand name within the next few months.

Fair & Lovely has never been, and is not, a skin bleaching product, the European-based company claims. The product is designed to improve skin barrier function, improve skin firmness and smoothen skin texture - all of which help enhance radiance and glow, as currently represented in advertising and communication.

Whether Unilever's historic marketing decision is a game-changer in terms of redefining beauty is still up in the air. A steamroller effect may be in play as rival Johnson & Johnson also said this month it might stop selling skin-whitening creams.

Separately, a source within French beauty products giant L’Oréal in India said the company was also having discussions in regards to its marketing strategies. It markets skin lightening products under both its L’Oréal and Garnier banners in India.

While Unilever's shift in its marketing strategy has received praise, in the U.S., there has been significant blowback from racists and their bots causing the international company to cease advertising in Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

In a press release issued Friday (June 26) morning, Unilever says: "The complexities of the current cultural landscape have placed a renewed responsibility on brands to learn, respond and act to drive a trusted and safe digital ecosystem.

"Given our Responsibility Framework and the polarized atmosphere in the U.S., we have decided that starting now through at least the end of the year, we will not run brand advertising in social media newsfeed platforms Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in the U.S. Continuing to advertise on these platforms at this time would not add value to people and society."

And ... so it goes!

Asian and Asian American celebrities speak out on injustice, racism, George Floyd

Henry Golding and his wife Liv Lo marched in Los Angeles.

The video-recorded death of George Floyd, is forever seered into the world's mind. Asian American celebrities have joined the movement against racial injustice, protesting against the prevailing systemic racism and voicing their opinions on social media, urging their fans to take a stand. 

Celebrities often get criticized for making political or controversial statements but they would not be human beings if they haven't been emotionally impacted by Floyd's death and formed some opinions on the subject of race in America, circa 2020. 

Actor Daniel Wu, creator and star of Into the Badlands, wrote an essay in  The Undefeated, (June 8, 2020), in a form of a letter to his late idol, Bruce Lee, in which he touched on the hate attacks against Asian Americans and protests that followed the horrific death of George Floyd at the hands of the police.

DANIEL WU

"Knowing that just my face alone can elicit so much hate, anger and violence is jarring. I am scared. Scared for the vulnerable. Scared for my daughter and her future in this country. And I am also angry. Angry at the systems in place that continually divide us. Angry that my status as an American is conditional. Angry that things haven’t changed. And this is just in the Asian American community. Recent events have shown that it is obviously far worse for the African American community, where hundreds of years of oppression have led to yet another killing of a black man at the hands of the police. It’s infuriating.

"I want to fight. Part of me wants to be provoked so I can lash out — smash them in the face like you smashed that sign to pieces. End it all with a flying kick. But this isn’t a movie and the solution is not as simple as knocking out the bad guy and saving the day. I initially started this letter hoping that you could impart your wisdom to me and tell me what to do in these dark times. But I understand what I need to do," Wu wrote.

"This pandemic cannot be knocked out with one swift kick, and neither can systemic racism. A small trickle of water can eventually cut through the toughest rock. It is constantly flowing and moving forward. When met with an obstacle, it does not stop but flows around it and eventually consumes it. When pushed, it moves out of the way but does not get pushed back. It can flow and it can crash and this is how we must face this fight. Whether white, black, brown or yellow, we must face these times with strength, empathy and compassion, and implore others to do the same while making sure not to get caught in the trap of becoming stone. We must remember that it’s imperative to join the other groups fighting this fight because they have been dealing with much worse for much longer, and only with solidarity can we form lakes and oceans to extinguish the flames of racism. 

In reference to his boyhood idol, Lee, Wu concluded, "Most importantly, as an individual, I must persevere and keep pushing, keep flowing. I must be water."

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Dwayne Johnson taped his post from his home in Los Angeles.

In a video posted on his Instagram account, action star Dwayne Johnson called out Donald Trump. In a powerful plea, the Samoan American called for change following Floyd’s death, asking for the country’s leaders to “normalize equality.”

“Past few days I’ve been stunned trying make sense of George Floyd’s death,” Johnson said via a post he shared on both Twitter and Instagram. “The video. The plea for breath. The callous response. The racism. The killing. This is our ongoing disease. I’ve had cops in my family. Good men. And there’s a cop code, granting you the authority to use force if your life is in danger. But when a man is handcuffed, on the ground, no longer a threat, with your brothers in arms standing around watching and he struggles to say, ‘please I can’t breathe’ when your knee is on his neck.. not his back, but his neck – cutting off his air. Cop code must become moral code. Ethics code. HUMANITY code.”

He went on: “Knowing that if you don’t ease up, then that man is going to die. So when you decide to not ease up, your intention is to kill. And that’s what this was. George Floyd, said ‘officer I can’t breathe’ as he struggled for air. He said these words a total of 15 times. Not once. Not twice. 15 times. These officers will be charged, I’m positive of that. Held accountable. But then where’s the greater accountability? The leadership to healing. More importantly, the leadership to EQUALITY. We ultimately win when we can normalize equality. I’m so sorry to the Floyd family. My heart breaks for you. Let the process begin now. #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd #NormalizeEquality.”

Popular South Korean band BTS donated $1 million to Black Lives Matter (BLM) in support of U.S. protests against police brutality, its music label, Big Hit Entertainment, told Reuters on Sunday.

On Thursday, the seven-member BTS wrote on its Twitter account that they are against racism and violence with the hashtag BlackLivesMatter.

“We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together.”

The K-pop group donated $1M to Black Lives Matters and their fans, known as the Army, matched the donation in a matter of hours.

Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi, who has a following of 667,000, was a whirlwind of activity on her Twitter account. Here are some of her tweets:

In a recent tweet, Kumail Nanjiani said that the perspective of people towards police has changed after hundreds of videos surfaced on social media shows cops using ‘excessive force’ to bring the chaos under control. He further said that people who did not think police brutality was an issue, ‘now believe police reform to be essential’. Kumail Nanjiani's tweet has garnered over one lakh likes.

"End this race war here in the US, and around the world. Wherever you live, whatever your circumstances, NO ONE deserves to die, especially at the hands of another because of their skin colour," actress Priyanka Chopra (Quantico) posted on Instagram.

However, her comments came back to bite her when trolls called ehr out on social media for previously promoting an "intense fairness moisturiser".

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PRIYANKA CHOPRA

Happy Birthday Mindy Kaling, a Hollywood powerhouse

On her 40th birthday today (June 24), let's give Mindy Kaling a shoutout and some belated props.

She doesn't get the press of Ava DuVernay or Shonda Rhimes, two African American producers, but in her own quiet path, Kaling has become a Hollywood powerhouse in presenting stories from the perspective of South Asians.

In her own journey, she has broken through many barriers to women and people of color in the entertainment industry and because of her high profile, she has been the target of criticism, even from from Asian Americans.

Perhaps its because she didn't develop her "street cred" by not being publicly confrontational in her career moves. Instead of shouting discrimination at every turn or detour, she chooses instead, to soften the bias against people of color -- either as the lone woman of color in a writers' room or as a powerful content producer -- with a twist of irony or self-deprecating humor.

Perhaps it is also of her own making. As she moved from her breakthrough rrole in The Office, to writing and producing The Mndy Project, the South Asian American artist has been criticized for appearing late to accept her own heritage as a part of her character and favoring white romantic interests on The Mindy Project.

In an interview promoting her latest movie, Late Night, she said it didn't reflect her own experience. Although in real life she was treated better than the characters she depicts in the movie, she nevertheless, felt the "terror" of her first writing job.

“But the terror I felt as a new writer and having to represent all women and all minorities in a writers’ room is really real," she told My Entertainment News.

“That is ripped straight from my own experience.”

Now that she's established herself and is no longer having to prove herself, Kaling is freer to express herself and continue the fight for inclusion by calling her own shots.

Kaling has a lot on her plate: launching her first Amazon Studios feature film, “Late Night”; an adaption of Four Weddings and a Funeral with a diverse cast;teaming up with Priyanka Chopra for a new Hulu series; writing a Netflix series loosely based on her own childhood; and the possibility of bringing to life a series or movie about an Indian American superhero.
and -- oh, by the way -- being a single mom.

Hulu’s Four Weddings and a Funeral, which will debut July 31 on the streaming network, has a diverse cast and presents a romance between characters from different cultures. Nathalie Emmanuel, Nikesh Patel, Rebecca Rittenhouse, John Paul Reynolds, Brandon Mychal Smith, Zoe Boyle, Sophia La Porta and Guz Khan star in the series.

“The leads are an African American woman and a British Pakistani man,” Kaling said. Ten hours will be different than two also, but will still feature the requisite weddings and funerals.

“There’s 10 episodes, four weddings, and one funeral in the course of the 10 episodes,” Kaling said.

Kaling is also teaming up with pal Priyanka Chopra for an all-new movie that combines everything we love about Crazy Rich Asians and My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

According to Deadline, the duo is set to star in an upcoming comedy about a lavish Indian wedding. Inspired by Chopra's own wedding to recording artist Nick Jonas, the romcom will take place in both America and India, so expect to see loads of culture clashes.

Kaling and Dan Goor (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) will cowrite the new movie, which will likely be filmed in 2020. The pair will also serve as executive producers alongside Howard Klein (The Office). Casting hasn't been announced, yet.

Marvel's Ms Marvel is an Indian American superhero.

Perhaps her most intriguing project is one that hasn't fully materialized yet. She said in interview that she has had talks with Marvel to bring to life their comic book character Ms. Marvel, AKA Kamala Khan, an Indian American teendager, according to Deadline.
"I grew up this shy girl with absolutely no connections in Hollywood. To me, (her success) is really about being a fan," said Kaling. ... "The funny thing is no matter how successful I might be, I still wake up feeling like that person on the outside looking in."

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Priyanka Chopra-Nick Jonas over-the-top wedding merged East and West traditions

INSTAGRAM / PRIYANKA CCHOPRA

Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra enjoyed their families' entertainment.

PRIYANKA CHOPRA and Nick Jonas wedding took place over a span of several days  culminated Dec. 1 and Dec. 2 with extravagant ceremonies at the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur in India.

The dual weddings honoring the bicultural couple's Western and Hindu heritages. 

INSTAGRAM / PRIYANKA CHOPRA

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas wed twice, in a western wedding and Indian wedding ceremonies

The newlyweds tied the knot in an extravagant wedding ceremonies over several days at Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur. They first got married  Saturday in a Christian wedding ceremony officiated by the groom's father. On Sunday, and they got married again in accordance with Hindu wedding rituals.
Prior to the wedding ceremonies,  the groom's and bride's families entertained each other with production numbers; and yes, the performances was pure Bollywood.

The following photos are from Priyanka Chopra's Instagram account.

The couple's apparent joy was undiminished and theyi gave no sign of being bothered by a blog by Maria Smith published Dec. 5 in The Cut, accusing Chopra of scamming Jonas into marrying her to advance her career, has been taken down.

Joe Jonas, however, rushed to his brother's defense. “This is disgusting. @TheCut should be ashamed to have someone write such evil words,” Joe tweeted. “What Nick & Pri have is Beautiful Love. Thank u, Next.”

The unsubstantiated article sparked instant outrage and within 24 hours the publication apologized and deleted the original article.

Last night, the Cut published a post about Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra’s relationship that shouldn’t have gone up. We’ve received dozens of messages from readers expressing their anger. We want you to know that we hear you and we’re sorry. The whole piece missed the mark. There is no good explanation for this other than human error and poor judgment. This was a mistake, and we apologize to our readers and to Priyanka and Nick.

Jezebel published a screen shot of a tweet from Cut about the article prior to it being deleted

Fans took to social media to vent their displeasure.

For a publication that “shows women’s what they are made of” @TheCut has a lot to answer for . The article on @priyankachopra was sexist , racist and disgusting. Also it’s written by a woman which is so sad. It reeks of envy and bitterness. @mRiah shame on you! https://t.co/bmbbX7LrAT— Sonam K Ahuja (@sonamakapoor) December 5, 2018

I saw that piece in The Cut on Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas this morning, and after working out that it wasn’t just desperately failed satire, was honestly horrified: it was spiteful, unethical, racist. Glad they took it down, but I don’t think a one-line apology is  enough.— Guy Lodge (@GuyLodge) December 5, 2018

Smith, issued a public apology Saturday (Dec. 7) on her Twitter handle for her article containing 'racist' and 'sexist' elements towards the Quantico star.

“I want to sincerely apologize to Priyanka Chopra, Nick Jonas, and to the readers, I offended and hurt with my words. I do not condone racism, xenophobia, or sexism. I take full responsibility for what I wrote, and I was wrong. I am truly sorry,” read her statement.AsAm News contributed to this report.
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A host of AAPI actors will be losing their jobs as their shows are cancelled or ended

'Quantico's' Priyanaa Chopra and 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's'' Vincent Rodriguez III

WHILE Asian/Americans were celebrating the renewal of Fresh Off the Boat, networks were cancelling other shows with AAPI starring roles.

Here are the shows that we won't see next year and the AAPI actors we bid a fond farewell (for now):

•Quantico, which starred Priyanka Chopra as the lead character, made it through three seasons. In her short stint in Hollywood, the former Miss World has made quite an impression. Quantico is merely a launching pad for her.

•Designated Survivor. with Kal Penn and Maggie Q couldn't get pass the second season. Both Asian/American actors played multi-layered complicated characters.

•The Crossing didn't even last a full season so we couldn't get fully involved in its premise or its characters. Somebody please give Sandrine Holt a series worthy of her talent.

•Marvel's Inhumans' cancellation was a big loss. Kenny Leung, Mike Moh and Sonya Balmores deserve a better fate, and a better vehicle.

•Rise never rose to the pre-season expectations, but expect to see the talented Aull'i Cravalho (Moana) in future projects if not on TV, perhaps the Broadway stage where she has the mentorship of award-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda.

•Scorpion. Too bad. I felt pretty sure that "geniuses" Jadyn Wong and Elyes Gabel would be back for a fifth season in the engaging nerds-save-the-world storyline.

•The Exorcist. Even the addition of John Cho in its second season couldn't save this one.

In addition, this year saw - or, will see - the demise of shows that had previously scheduled their own end.

•Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. One of the most original shows on television for the past three years and the show that introduced the AAPI bro and romantic lead in the character played by Vincent Rodriguez III.

•New Girl. After seven seasons, the show is currently in its final season. It had a good run marked by likeable characters and good writing. Hannah Simone was part of the repertory team that delivered the comedic goods week-in and week-out.

•The Mindy Project. While there was much ado about the debut of Fresh Off the Boat, it might be easy to forget that Mindy Kaling has had her own show for seven (more or less) seasons. In her own way, the evolution of Mindy, paralleled the evolution of the Indian American community.

That's a lot of shows leaving us and a lot of out-of-work AAPI artists. Let's hope that this is not the beginning of a trend. After two seasons we've seen a spate of television shows featuring AAPI actors in prominent roles. While two seasons won't undo the decades of neglect and being invisible, it demonstrated what the industry could do if it wanted to and not just spurred by shame from the brouhaha surrounding the #OscarsSoWhite debacle.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Keep an eye out for Views From the Edge's annual roundup of all the new fall shows featuring AAPI actors.)
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New TV season opens up opportunities for AAPI actors, but there's still a scarcity of roles

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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.

RELATED: Wave of new AAPI roles continues into 2016 television season

At 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.

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:

• 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.

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