PBS special on the Atlanta spa shootings and the rise in anti-Asian hate linked to AANHPI political activism

RISING AGAINST ASIAN HATE

Robert Peterson, son of Atlanta shooting victim Yong Ae Yue, is featured in the documentary.

In March 2021, a man murdered eight people, including six women of Asian descent, at three spas in Atlanta, Georgia. In a year of increasing violence against Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, the shooting was a watershed event.

For many, the tragic events became a galvanizing moment, reigniting a sense of collective identity and political engagement within AAPI communities. Now, as violence against AAPI people continues to surge nationwide, Rising Against Asian Hate: One Day in March, a documentary chronicles the troubling escalation of hate and spotlights the movement to turn grief and anger into action. 

"The Asian American community are not victims in this story. I didn't want to show a community that's victimized, even though what's been happening is horrific. But the Asian American community [has] been here fighting for their civil rights for a very, very long time,” said Titi Yu, director of the hour-long documentary. 

WATCH: Rising Against Asian Hate: One Day in March premieres on Monday, October 17 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/RisingAgainstAsianHate, the PBS Video App and on the PBS

 Narrated by Emmy nominated actress Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy, Killing Eve) with music by Academy and Grammy Award-winning musician Jon Batiste and Grammy nominated musician Cory Wong, Rising Against Asian Hate pays tribute to the lives lost, examines the rise of anti-Asian racism and documents a growing movement to fight back and stop the hate.

Rising Against Asian Hate features interviews with Robert Peterson, son of the late Yong Ae Yue, who was killed in the Atlanta spa shootings; community leaders and organizers and politicians including Stacey Abrams (former Georgia State Representative, founder of Fair Fight and Democratic gubernatorial candidate), Rep. Grace Meng, D-NY, Georgia State Sen. Michelle Au, Georgia State Rep. Bee Nguyen, Georgia State Rep. Samuel Park and Byung J. "BJay" Pak (former Senate-confirmed U.S. Attorney and legislator); among others.

"The tragedy of the Atlanta shootings and the events of the past two years have compelled a deep reflection within the community about our place in the American polity. It has galvanized the Asian American community to speak up and speak out," said Yu.

"We watched in horror and shock as vicious attacks on Asian Americans were caught on camera, and we saw how this violence escalated to the killing of six women of Asian descent in the Atlanta shooting," said Gina Kim, executive producer of Rising Against Asian Hate. "With this documentary we hope to examine this troubling escalation of racism against the AAPI community, pay respect to the lives lost and impacted by the violence, and champion those coming together to fight against the hate."

"The rise in anti-Asian hate incidents over the past few years has been unlike anything we've seen in the 42 years that CAAM has been supporting Asian American stories," says Center for Asian American Media Director of Programs Donald Young. "With so much attention focused on the accused shooter in Atlanta, this film is a necessary, in-depth look at the stories behind the victims and the effects on the community."

"The shocking events that took place in Atlanta, and the acts of violence that continue to take place in communities across the country, are tragic and unthinkable," said Margaret Ebrahim, senior director, General Audience Programming at PBS. "Rising Against Asian Hate epitomizes PBS's mission to produce trusted, thought-provoking content that goes beyond the surface level; to provide a platform for discussion, and to foster a culture of understanding about issues that ultimately impact us all."

The film is part of The WNET Group's Exploring Hate: Antisemitism, Racism and Extremism, a public media reporting initiative examining the roots and rise of hate in America and across the globe. 

To complement Rising Against Asian Hate, the Exploring Hate digital series be/longing: Asian Americans Now profiles Asian American trailblazers from across the country in five stories of belonging and exclusion; resilience and hope; and solidarity in the face of hate. Rising Against Asian Hate filmmakers Gina Kim and Titi Yu are the subjects of episode five of be/longing and shed light on what they discovered about the AAPI community in the face of anti-Asian violence.

Rising Against Asian Hate: One Day in March is produced by Repartee Films, LLC in association with the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and The WNET Group for PBS.

With director Yu is Gina Kim as executive producer. For CAAM, Stephen Gong and Donald Young are executive producers and James Ott is executive-in-charge. For Exploring Hate, Eugenia Harvey is executive producer and Judy Greenspan is series producer. For The WNET Group, Lesley Norman is executive producer and Stephen Segaller is executive-in-charge. Margaret Ebrahim is the Executive in Charge for PBS.

Yu believes that the 2022 Midterm election is a critical moment for Asian Americans' growing political influence. She explains how by drawing a line between the hate crime legislation and political participation further emphasizes the kind of work that the Asian American community has been doing throughout history.

“Whenever this kind of violence happens, we hear about the families and the victims,” Yu continues, “but we don’t really know that behind the story of how the community can actually come together to really help the victims and the families, and particularly with immigrant communities that’s also close knit. I just got a sense that a tragedy like this can really hit at the heart of the community members. So that’s why we wanted to reach out to those people.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

'Turning Red' tackles a familiar balancing act for AANHPI adolescents

Pixar's and Disney's 'Turning Red," features a diverse cast.

 

OPINON

For most people middle school was a traumatic time with our bodies experiencing hormonic changes, that transitional period between adulthood and childhood, and the time when we want to break away from our parents care as we seek to become our own person.

For lack of a role model, I identified with "Beaver" Cleaver, (OK, so I'm dating myself) whose fictional TV sitcom (Leave It to Beaver) family, friends, neighborhood and school looked nothing like my own reality, which explains a lot about my own personal hangups. (But, that's another story)

Oh, how I wish Turning Red, which premiered today (March 11) on Disney+, was around when I was in sixth and seventh grade.

Pixar's newest animated feature centers on Asian Canadian Mei Lee, a 13-year-old girl who is torn between being her mother's obedient daughter and the chaos of her youth. As if that were not enough, when she gets too excited, she turns into a big red panda, a product of a family curse.

(Metaphorically speaking, recall those awkward times in your life when you believe the whole world is staring at you because of your appearance or something you did.)

Like many children of immigrants, Mei navigates the tumultuous teen years while balancing herself between two cultures. She is unabashedly Asian and unapologetic American. Mei is a dork but she is also super confident, loves her racial heritage and an ardent fan of a boy band.

Sandra Oh (Killing Eve, Grey's Anatomy) and newcomer Rosalie Chiang, who give voice to the mother and Mei, respectively, believe Turning Red has the potential to be transformative.

“Hopefully this film ... gives the experience to [people] just like Mei that you are the hero, a 13-year-old Chinese girl is a hero,” Oh, 50, told the Daily News.

“For someone like myself, and my generation, we did not see ourselves in the center of the story, or the hero, and the fact that we have a lot more stories that are diverse, it just includes more people and it also makes storytelling just much more interesting,” says Oh, who grew up in Canada.

Speaking to one critic's review of the film that he couldn't relate to film because it is targeted at a small, specific audience -- Asian Americans, Oh speaks to the universality of the tween experience and the difficulty of "fitting in."

"You go through changes in your life — puberty, needing to individuate from your parents," Oh continues. "That's ultimately what the film is about and it's just another extra layer that we were able to add it from a specific cultural perspective."

Rosalie Chiang, left, and Sandra Oh, stars of 'Turning Red.'

"This is a coming of age film, everyone goes through this change," says Chiang, a teenager herself growing up with immigrant parents in Fremont, Calif. "I think different people of different cultures are going to go through it differently, but at the end of the day, the core messiness and change is something everyone can relate to,” she tells CBC.

"Since I was between 12 and 16 when I was recording for Mei, I could bring a lot of my own experiences into the character," says Chiang.

"I'm sort of growing with the movie, so I think I could bring another layer of authenticity to a 13-year-old girl,"she adds.

“It was important for me from the beginning that this wasn't your typical story of a militant parent who's very strict and forbidding, and a kid who feels oppressed and wants to break free,” explains director and co-writer Domee Shi, who also helmed the Oscar-winning Pixar short Bao. 

“For Mei, and I think for myself and a lot of Asian immigrant kids, we really want to honor our parents, like we love them and the sacrifices that they've made for us. But she also is being pulled in this other direction [towards] her friends and boybands and whatever that represents for anyone else who watches it.”

Despite using Leave It to Beaver as a standard, I survived, somehow. Thank goodness  AANHPI kids growing up today, have shows like Turning Red, Never Have I Ever and Fresh Off the Boat that, at times, reflect their realities to help navigate through those difficult years.

Turning Red can be streamed on Disney+.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, reviews and tips from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd.

Sandra Oh, The Squid Game nominated for SAG awards

'The Squid Game' made history for the SAG awards.

The Screen Actors Guild nominated Sandra Oh and The Squid Game for its 2022 awards.

The Netflix series, The Squid Game, won four nominations while making history as the first foreign language television series honored by American actors.

FYI: For a complete list of nominees, click here.

The South Korean series earned four nominations: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor, for Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun, Player 456; Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor, for Jung Ho-Yeon as Kang Sae-byeok, the North Korean Player 067; and an overall award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Series and for its stunt team.

"I am speechless and beyond excited to be nominated, not just individually but for our entire Squid Game team!" said Lee. "I vividly remember the precious moments we shared together, putting in all the hard work to film the intense six rounds of games."

Oh was nominated as best actress in a comedy series for her role in The Chair. for playing a Korean American professor, Ji-Yoon Kim, the chair of the English Department of a U.S. college.

Oh has been nominated six times and won four SAG individual and ensemble acting for her roles in the movie Sideways (ensemble), the ABC series Grey's Anatomy (ensemble and best actress), Netflix's Killing Eve (best actress).

Although several awards shows have cancelled or postponed their award ceremonies because of the pandemic, the 28th SAG Awards winners will be announced live in an in-person event on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd.

Documentary 'Asian Americans' wins Peabody Award

The 5-episode documentary Asian Americans  is a winner of the 2021 Peabody Awards, one of most prestigious honors in broadcast journalism.

“History and solidarity were always central concepts of the Asian Americans. We wanted to tell our own story within the context of race and justice in the U.S. Not the story of the Model Minority or the Perpetual Foreigner,” says series producer Renee Tajima-Peña. 

The critically acclaimed PBS documentary series Asian Americans was premiered a year ago on PBS. It is a production of WETA Washington, DC and the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) for PBS

“Being selected for a Peabody Award is a tremendous honor for CAAM and an acknowledgement of our four decades of work to bring Asian American stories to the broadest possible audience,” says CAAM Director of Programs Donald Young, who is also one of the executive producers of Asian Americans. 

“Respected for its integrity and revered for its standards of excellence, the Peabody Awards elevate stories that defend the public interest, encourage empathy with others, and teach us to expand our understanding of the world around us--all goals that we here at CAAM value,” he said.

The expansive five-part series chronicles over 250 years of Asian American experiences, which are deeply intertwined with United States history at large. 

“One thing that’s really important about the team that came together to make Asian Americans is that everyone has a long track record of being invested in the Asian American story. And we could locate our own family stories in the series. We figured out that Don’s family has been here the longest, back to the early Chinese migration in the 1800s,” says Tajima-Peña. “My grandparents came in the early 1900s—sugar cane workers, picture brides, all of whom had no pathway to citizenship for 50 years in America. Jean Tsien, Grace Lee and Geeta Gandbhir could trace their families’ arrivals to the 1965 immigration reforms. S. Leo Chiang was a parachute kid. Duc Nguyen, one of our archivists, arrived as a refugee from Vietnam.”

Asian Americans is one of the 30 works cited this year. The Peabody 30 are the best of over 1,300 entries submitted from television, podcasts/radio and the web in entertainment, news, documentary, arts, children’s/youth, public service and multimedia programming.

For the complete list of Peabody awardees, click here.

Asian Americans, narrated by Daniel Dae Kim and Tamlyn Tomita, chronicles the role of Asian Americans who did the most dangerous work of tunneling through the Sierras to build the Transcontinental Railroad, petitioned the Supreme Court to grant birthright citizenship, and challenged racial school segregation. And this history continued through the 20th century and into the 21st century. 

“Asian Americans continued to fight for justice in the courts, at the ballot box, in the streets, the fields, on campuses and in the culture. We’re fighting today. That’s the story we wanted to tell.”

Over the Moon: FilAm actress revels in her role and heritage

Cathy Ang, right, provided the voice for Fei Fei in 'Over the Moon' animated musical.

With an Asian American cast of Sandra Oh, John Cho, Phillipa Soo, Ken Jeong, Ruthi Ann Miles, Conrad Ricamora and Margaret Cho, the young star of Over the Moon, Cathy Ang, in her biggest role in her budding career, steals the show.

Ang, 25, stars in Netflix's Over the Moon, an animated film featuring her as her voice a young girl named Fei Fei who builds a rocket ship to travel to space and meet the Chinese moon goddess, Chang’e.

It was a “huge privilege and honor” to be part of that star-studded lineup, Ang said.

“This cast has inspired me to pursue acting,” Ang explained. “I grew up wanting to be able to be like them, and they paved the way for a lot of young Asian American artists. They lift the young artists up so well.”

She remembers idolizing Disney's animated Mulan as a young girl growing up Southern California and having an inspirational role model who looked like her, so she appreciates the chance to pass-it-forward to another generation of Asian American children.

“This is the first time that, as a Chinese Filipino-American I’m getting to play a Chinese character," she said. "So, it’s very exciting for me to be able to share my family’s culture and some of our traditions, and I feel really proud that it’s getting represented on screen and that hopefully the rest of the world will see it and get curious and celebrate it. So it means the world.”

Fei Fei;s incredible journey to the moon and the making of Over The Moon became part of Ang's own journey of her “personal identity,” she said in a Zoom interview with Asian and Asian American media.

“I feel like I’ve learned a lot more about who I am, and even though I’m Asian American, you know, I’m still figuring out what that really means and how that will translate in the art that I make," said the NYU grad.

"But it’s been really nice because I appreciate the way that my parents, who were immigrants from the Philippines, tried to impart a lot of their culture on me as I was growing up, and I realized, more so than ever that it’s a huge gift. And so, it’s made actually the dialogue between my parents and I more exciting because we have new things to talk about,” said Ang, whose father is fron Ongin and mother is from Nueva Viscaya.

I grew up in California and so I had the privilege of going to see lion dancing and dragon dancing in Chinatown and play with Chinese yoyos and we would always eat a lot of really amazing food for every birthday, for every holiday there was something to stuff ourselves with.  There was lechon, there was pancit, there was sinigang, you know, and there were so many holidays where it was just about gathering around a table and stuffing yourselves until you couldn't help but be happy together (laughs).

Although not a full-fledged musical, Over the Moon features plenty of songs allowing the movie's singing stars to shine.

Ang took part in musicals while in college and landed a role in the Broadway hit KPOP. Growing up, she says, like many girls she grew up as a Lea Salonga fan and is slightly embarrassed to tell of her first meeting with the Broadway legend. 

"Oh my gosh. After the show I did which was KPOP musical in New York, I met her because she came to greet the cast. I grew up with Lea Salonga. My parents are from the Philippines and they love Lea Salonga. I love Mulan and Jasmine. She is one of my inspirations to pursue art. I cried the whole time when I saw her. I could not talk to her. She probably thinks I was weird. She was so sweet and I was so overwhelmed to see her."

'Over the Moon' is available for streaming on Netflix.

TGIF Feature: New film inspired by a Chinese legend centers on a Chinese American family

A new film from Netflix based on a Chinese legend and featuring a Chinese American family released it's trailer and it looks beautiful.

Over the Moon has a star-studded cast featuring Sandra Oh, John Cho...and newcomer Cathy Ang as hero character Fei Fei.

The family film's star-studded voice cast also includes Cathy Ang, Phillipa Soo, Ken Jeong, John Cho, Ruthie Ann Miles, Sandra Oh, Robert G. Chiu, Margaret Cho and Kimiko Glenn. It was directed by Disney veteran Glen Keane, whose credits include work on Beauty and the Beast and the Oscar-winning Kobe Bryant animated short Dear Basketball.

The official synopsis says: "Fueled with determination and a passion for science, a bright young girl Fei Fei builds a rocket ship to the moon to prove the existence of a legendary Moon Goddess, Chang'e, based on an ancient Chinese legend. There she ends up on an unexpected quest and discovers a whimsical land of fantastical creatures. "

Cho said he was particularly drawn to the film because of the way it explores a positive, loving experience in an Asian family dynamic. He explained:

"It's hard to find films that represent Asian culture, especially family dynamics, as something that's not oppressive or is attached to shame or filial piety or doing things that you don't want to do," said Cho. "This story is about an Asian family that is rooted in love. That's what gives it its heart. And I love that about this film."

Sandra Oh wears her fashionable Emmy jacket in support of Black Lives Matter

INSTAGRAM

Sandra Oh was casual but she got her message across.

Sandra Oh made a subtle fashion/political statement during the Emmy Awards show Sunday night.

Since the awards show was done virtually, there was no traditional red carpet where the stars get to show off their fashion sense, so the Killing Eve star forced herself "to reflect on who I am and how I express myself through clothes,” said Oh, who was nominated in the category of Best Actress in a Drama Series.

In case you missed it, she wore a purple bomber jacket with matching face mask that had Korean script supporting Black Lives Matter.

“After George Floyd’s death and the protests that followed, I felt that as an Asian-American, a Korean-American person, I wanted to express my support for the Black community in a way that felt personal to my community,” she told British Vogue.

“Then, a playwright friend of mine sent me this local LA brand, KORELIMITED, by the designer Matthew Kim, who had done a line of T-shirts and hoodies to support Black Lives Matter. Even though it’s really different from what you would normally wear on a red carpet.”

The script on the bomber jacket translates “Black Lives Are Precious” because “Black Lives Matter” is not directly translatable in Korean. The dashes are a nod to the Korean flag. And the color, royal purple, carries meaning for both the Korean and Black communities. It’s “super Korean”, Oh said. The use of purple in Black Panther (vibranium is purple, derived from the purple “heart-shaped herb”, reserved for the Wakandan ruler and their family, fitting because the color symbolizes royalty and power).

Oh did her own hair, braided in a traditional folklore style.

As expected, some of the winners used their acceptance speeches t make political statements on behalf of Black Lives Matter and calls for people to register to vote.

With the country undergoing a tumultuous time politically and culturally, Oh said, “This is the moment to wear fashion that’s important and sends the right message.” 

Custom versions of Oh’s jacket are available for purchase via KORELIMITED, with a portion of the proceeds going to her chosen charities: Campaign Zero and Black Girls Code. 

Sandra Oh dreams of portraying an Asian American in an Asian American story

Sandra Oh is interested in playing more characters that explore Asian American stories, she said in The Hollywood Reporter’s podcast, Awards Chatter.

"I’d say now and at this point in my career, specifically wanting to return to only playing specifically Asian characters,” the Killing Eve actress told host Scott Feinberg, becase the characters she is best known for, were originally written for white characters. Only after she was cast, was she able to tailor the character to her Korean heritage.

Oh, whose popularity grew playing an Asian American doctor in the long-running Grey's Anatomy, is excited about where stories are headed for Asian characters in the entertainment industry. Telling more than just white Americans’ stories gives a fuller picture of America.

The Asian Canadian actress has been nominated for an Emmy for her role in BBC's Killing Eve.

“I hope where we are now moving towards and going back to not a type of assimilation where it is embracing a certain type of mainstream, which is the white mainstream,” she said. “It’s to actually embrace our own accents, our own histories, our own culture. And that’s, it’s a big shift because it’s really a shift in writing as well.”

“We’re just in a place right now, because I feel hopefully continuing on with the Parasite wave, and the Crazy Rich Asians wave,” Oh said. “Let’s hope that there’s still a deep interest in a real movement to have Asian American stories really be a larger thread in the fabric of American culture, and just Western culture.”

Dear White American Theater: Open letter says racism mutes POC plays, musicals

'Soft Power' by David Henry Hwang is one of the few Broadway productions with a largely Asian cast.

ASAM NEWS

In the aftermath of the George Floyd killing, America takes a good hard look at itself in addressing systemic racism in institutions, the glare of the spotlight has turned to the theater industry.

Hundreds of theater industry workers published an open letter Monday condemning racism in the theater industry. Among the signers are dozens of AAPI artists including Sandra Oh (Killing Eve), Conrad Ricamora (How to Get Away With Murder, Soft Power) and playwright David Henry Hwang (Soft Power).

The letter comes as protests condemning the killing and mistreatment of Black people continue around the world heightening racial inequities throughout US society, including Broadway.

The open letter was addressed to “White American Theater,” according to TIME Magazine. It called out the theater industry for systemic racism and demanded that changes be made.

“We have watched you exploit us, shame us, diminish us, and exclude us. We see you. We have always seen you,” the letter reads. “And now you will see us.

The letter slams the theater for its acts of racism, patriarchy and white privilege. It accuses theater executives of whitewashing BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) stories to satisfy white audiences. It also discusses the theater’s history of tokenism, saying that the theater would promote BIPOC stories and work only when it was convenient for them.

“We have watched you amplify our voices when we are heralded by the press, but refuse to defend our aesthetic when we are not, allowing our livelihoods to be destroyed by a monolithic and racist culture,” the letter reads.

According to an annual study from the Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC) found that in the 2016-17 theatrical season, 86.8 percent of shows were written by white playwrights. Around 66.8 percent of roles were held by White performers.

The AAPAC study found that 7.3 percent of roles were held by Asian American performers and 1.5 percent of shows were written by Asian American playwrights.

The letter also specifically called out anti-blackness in theater.

“We have watched you promote anti-Blackness again and again. We see you,” the letter reads.

There is also a website called “We See You White American Theater” which details how the letter began as a small private discussion and evolved into a much larger one. The website has a link to a petition that demands change for BIPOC theatremakers.

“This ends TODAY,” the letter concludes.

Views From the Edge contributed to this report.

Sandra Oh wants to focus on roles about race 'because I can,' she says

Sandra Oh wants to tackle race "because I can.'

ASAM NEWS

Sandra Oh is looking to take on new roles that embrace her Asian heritage.
Oh is well known for her starring roles in Grey’s Anatomy and Killing Eve. Her performance in Killing Eve won her a nomination for the 2018 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She became the first actress of Asian decent to be nominated for an Emmy.

However, many of her notable roles do not explore the character’s racial identity.

In an interview for Elle Canada‘s June 2020 cover story, Oh said she is “specifically interested in roles that explore a character’s race.”

“But I’m in a place in my career now where I am specifically interested in roles that explore a character’s race,” Oh said. “Because I can — and because I want our conversations to eventually move to a place that recognizes that it’s important. Let’s say it’s a show about a fashion magazine and the editor’s Black. You can’t just write this character without having the background of who she is. But that has been the primary storytelling for as long as we’ve been around.”

Over the past few years, Oh has pushed for greater diversity in Hollywood. While hosting the Golden Globes in 2019, Oh took a moment to praise “the faces of change” present at the awards show, according.

“I said 'yes' to the fear of being on this stage tonight because I wanted… to look out onto this audience and witness this moment of change,” Oh said in her opening monologue.

Oh told Elle Canada that portrayals of Asians on screen often make Asian Americans uncomfortable because they aren’t written properly.

“Asian Americans, particularly from my generation, almost recoil if we hear an accent (onscreen) because of how laden in racism and misunderstanding (it is) and (how it’s a result of) not being in charge of the story,” she says.

Oh added in the interview that she is excited to see younger generations embrace their Asian identities by “carrying” their accents into their characters.

“If you are Korean American and from Los Angeles, you have an accent, but they aren’t trying to flatten their accent, like I have,” she says. “They are just carrying that into the character of, say, a doctor. That’s how we get the shift. We don’t want to just have a person of color acting the way a white person would act. Because they’re not!”

Sandra Oh eyes new series for Netflix

SANDRA OH

ASAM NEWS

Sandra Oh is set to produce and star in a new Netflix dramedy called The Chair. 

Game of Thrones creators David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Bernie Caulfield along with Benioff’s wife Amanda Peet will join Oh as executive producers, according to Netflix.

Oh will play the chair of the English department at a prominent university, Variety reported. Her co-star Jay Duplass (Transparent), will appear in an unnamed role, according to Hollywood Reporter.

The series was created by Amanda Peet, who will serve as writer, executive producer, and showrunner.

Further details about the show, including its premiere date, have yet to be released.

And for those who are still hooked on Killing Eve, there’s no need to worry. Oh is still attached to the acclaimed series, which has already been renewed for a third and fourth season, Hollywood Reporter reported.

Except for 'Parasite,' SAG nominations snub Asian shows, actors

A24

American actress Awkwafina drew praise for her performance in 'The Farewell.'

The Screen Actors Guild overlooked the work of Asians and Asian Americans this year in its nominations for SAG Awards. The nominations for the awards were announced Thursday (Dec. 11) with the noticeable omission of some some strong performances by AAPI actors.

The Farewell's Awkwafina, who just a few days ago nabbed a nomination as an actress for the Golden Globes and was named one of the Entertainers of the Year by Entertainment Weekly, didn't even merit a mention by her acting peers.

It's hard to fathom what changed on Killing Eve from 2018 to 2019? Sandra Oh, who won last year as Best Actress for her role in Killing Eve, was omitted this year. However, her costar Jodie Comer, like in the Golden Globes, earned a nomination for Best Actress in a Drama Series.Was it the blonde's turn, or what?

BBC

Same role, same actor, same outstanding performance, but Sandra Oh was skipped over by the Screen Actors Guild.

I love The Walking Dead, but it's nomination in the Stunts or Action in a Television Series is puzzling. How can  clobbering zombies in the head compare to the outstanding Hong Kong-style martial arts, with its choreography of leaps and bounds that was the mainstay of Into the Badlands?

My personal favorite, Joel Dela Fuente's unstereotypical, nuanced portrayal of Kempeitai Chief Inspector Takeshi Kido in The Man in the High Castle was overlooked. Apparently, not enough voters caught the show on Hulu to appreciate the most complete, most-rounded Asian character on TV.

THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE

Joel dela Fuente didn't resort to stereotypes for his role in 'The Man in the High Castle.'

To be fair, the lack of any Asian or Asian American nominations speaks to the shortage of productions showcasing Asian and Asian American actors. In comparison to the hundreds of productions for white actors and the dozens of productions featuring black performers, productions featuring dramatic or comedic opportunities for Asian and Asian American actors can still be counted in one, maybe two, hands.

This year, there was no production to equal The Assassination of Gianni Versace -- in terms of exposure to the American public -- which earned Filipino American actor Darren Chris a bevy of awards last year for portraying the gay, delusional, flamboyant killer Filipino American Andrew Cunanan, a once-in-a-lifetime role.

Unlike the Oscars, which are influenced by PR contests between studios and sometimes dubbed a popularity contest, the SAG Awards are supposed to be given to acting performances as voted by other actors. Or, maybe, Hollywood voters, which make up most of SAG's membership, have an aversion films where you have to read subtitles.

Director Bong Joon-Ho, left, and the cast of 'Parasite' at the Cannes Film Festival.

Thank goodness for Bong Joon-Ho's movie, Parasite, or otherwise, Asian and Asian American actors would be completely shut out this year. Parasite's Korean cast was nominated for Best Ensemble Cast in A Dramatic Movie. 

Its hard to explain some of the nominations and why some worthy performances overlooked. Perhaps it tells more about the viewing habits of actors that lean in favor of English accents, histrionics over subtlety, familiar faces and the uncomplicated, tried and tested themes over something new and different, ie. the Asian or Asian American experience.

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In an upset, Sandra Oh's costar wins acting award

Actor Jodie Comer seeks out her 'Killing Eve' costar Sandra Oh during the Emmy awards.

The coveted Emmy continues to elude Sandra Oh.

Oh's Killing Eve costar Jodie Comer won the Best Lead Actress in a Drama Sseries at Sunday's Emmy Awards show.

Oh has been nominated nine times for an Emmy but has never won. She was nominated twice for Killing Eve and five straight years for her portrayal of Dr. Christina Yang on Grey's Anatomy. This year, she was also nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her stint as a Saturday Night Live host. Her nine nominations has won her the dubious title of being the most nominated Asian American for the television's prestigious trophy.

Besides Oh, Comer also beat a bevy of heavyweight actresses, including: Emilia Clarke (“Game of Thrones”), Laura Linney (“Ozark”), Mandy Moore (“This Is Us”), Robin Wright (“House of Cards”), and Viola Davis (“How to Get Away With Murder”).

"I just didn't expect it," she admitted after the show. "The women in that category are so phenomenal, and I felt very lucky to be there and be here."

Oh was widely expected to win the category after winning the Golden Globes and SAG awards in the same category. When Comer's name was announced, it caught her completely by surprise. The first thing she did was to go to Oh and embrace her. 

"I think I said I loved her and I appreciated her," Comer told ET's Kevin Frazier backstage, revealing what she whispered to Oh on her way to the stage. "Because honestly, this whole experience we've gone through together."

In accepting the award, Comer paid tribute to her costar. “It’s safe to say, Sandra, that this ‘Killing Eve’ journey has been an absolute whirlwind and I feel so lucky to have shared the whole experience with you,”

Oh was also nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her stint as a Saturday Night Live host. Jane Lynch won for her role in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

If Oh had won she would have been the first Asian American woman to win Best Lead Actress. 

Archie Panjabi became the first actor of Asian descent to win an acting Emmy (The Good Wife) -- for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2010. In 2017, Riz Ahmed  became the only Asian actor, male or female, to win a lead Emmy category.n acting prize for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for The Night Of.

The only other Asian American nominee was Maya Erskine . who with cowriter Anna Konkle,for Best Writer for a Comedy Series for their work in Hulu's PEN15. That category was won by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, for her writing for  took Fleabag..

While Asian Americans were shut out of the awards, Lilly Singh, Ken Jeong and Randall Park appeared on stage to introduce the nominees and winners in several categories.

Compared to past years, AAPI actors appear more plentiful in ead and supporting roles on television but none of them have translated to acting recognition. 

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Three Asian Americans receive Emmy nominations

Sandra Oh has been nominated in two categories for Emmys.

ASAM NEWS

There were three nice surprises this Tuesday morning as Ken Jeong and D’Arcy Carden announced the 2019 Emmy nominations.

Sandra Oh received a nomination for outstanding guest actress in a comedy series for her hosting gig on Saturday Night Live. As expected, she also garnered another nomination as lead actress in a drama series, Killing Eve.

According to Entertainment Tonight, Oh is the most nominated Asian performer in history. She received five straight Emmy nominations from 2005-2009 for best supporting actress in Grey’s Anatomy. She was also nominated last year for Killing Eve as best actress. She has yet to win her first Emmy.

Kumail Nanjiani received his first Emmy nomination for a Twilight Zone episode.

The Academy also named Kumail Nanjiani as a nominee in the category of guest actor in a drama series for his appearance on The Twilight Zone. The Pakistani American comic is best known as the writer for his movie The Big Sick and for his role on HBO’s emmy-nominated series, Silicon Valley.

Maya Erskine, an Asian American, and costar Anna Konkle were nominated for their writing for "Anna IshiiiPeters" for an episode for Hulu's PEN15.

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Asian Spring blooms after Asian August planted the seeds

From upper left, clockwise, Late Night, Plus One, The Sun Is Also A Star, Warrior.

In the wake of Asian August, during which we saw the premieres of three major movies featuring Asian Americans in leading roles, we are luxuriating in the Asian Spring blooms

From March to June, the sheer number of television series and films that already had or will have a season premiere or movie debut, leaves one breathless. It is almost enough to make one wonder what the fuss was over representation.

Asian August brought us Crazy Rich Asians, With its all-Asian cast, the movie broke box office expectations for a romantic comedy. The month also brought us To All the Boys I've Ever Loved, another romcom starring up-an-coming Korean American Lana Condor; and the thriller Searching starring John Cho. All the movies were critically acclaimed. One movie with Asian leads was unique but three movies with that cross-over appeal woke up Hollywood

While these movies and TV shows began development before the success of Crazy Rich Asians didn't hurt. The success of that single film had Hollywood questioning its own bias against casting of Asians. If projects were on the bubble, Asian August helped push them over the greenlight line.

Sandra Oh kicked off Asian Spring by hosting Saturday Night Live.

Despite the dozen movies and TV series that debuted in Spring, don't be lulled into a state of inaction. There is still plenty of room for improvement. Studies show that AAPI actors are still a rarity and the vast majority of television products still don't include an AAPI cast member.

Hollywood may not be in a love affair with Asian-inspired projects, it is certainly full-blown flirtation bueled partially by curiosity and, let's face it, money. As long as these projects are making money, studio heads, directors and producers will keep the door open. Nevertheless, as Asian Spring demonstrates, we should acknowledge that representation and inclusion has taken a leap forward for the AAPI audience and artists.

While it is too early to say if this open door leads to institutional change in the entertainment industry, in the meantime, let's enjoy the unprecedented presence of Asians on the big and small screen:

PEN15: A comedy about teenage angst stars newcomer Maya Erskine learning how to survive middle school. Although it premiered Feb. 15, it is still available through the spring on Hulu's streaming network

Saturday Night Live: Sandra Oh hosted Saturday Night Live, only the third Asian American to host the comedy variety show, following in the footsteps of Lucy Liu (1962) and Awkwafina (2018)

Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, Janelle Parish (To All the Boys I Ever Loved) and Sydney Park in this sequel to Pretty Little Liars. Freeform, March 20, 8 p.m.

Into the Badlands: The martial arts epic taking place in a dystopian future America stars Daniel Wu entered its final season, March 24 10 p.m. on AMC.

Warrior was so well received that it is already committed to a second season.

Warrior: The Bruce Lee-inspired television series that takes place in 19th century San Francisco's Chinatown debuted April 5 on Cinemax

Killing Eve: The second season of this crime thriller starrin Sandra Oh, who won an Emmy for her portrayal of MI6 agent Eve Polestri. The series launched 9 p.m., April 7 on BBC America.

Unforgotten: Sanjeev Bhaskar stars as Sunny Khan in the British crime drama revolving around two London detectives. His costar is Nicola Walker. The third season began on April 7,  PBS 10 p.m.

The Code: The television legal drama stars Philippa Soo debuted April 9 on CBS, 9 p.m. Soo plays Lieutenant Harper Li, a highly capable, hyper-organized and fierce lawyer whose ability to compartmentalize and prioritize makes her an asset to the team of military attorneys.

Plus One: The romantic comedy starring hapa Maya Erskine. Plus One premiered May 5. “This was something that I couldn’t have dreamed possible as a kid,” says Erskine. “As a kid, I didn’t see myself reflected back to me, so I didn’t see this as a possibility. So if this movie makes it out there and other people see it, I do hope that a young girl who is like me can look at it and be like, ‘Oh, I can be that woman.’”

John Wick: Parabellum stars Keanu Reeves in the third installment of this popular science fiction action franchise.

The Sun is Also A Star: The boy-meets-girl stars Charles Melton, a Korean American actor from Riverdale, as the romantic lead opposite Yara Shahid, of Blackish. It debuts in theaters May 17.

Disney went to great effort to appropriately cast the live-action Aladdin.

Aladdin: The live action remake of Disney's animated movie stars culturally appropriate Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmin, Mena Massoud as Aladdin and Will Smith as the genie. The trailers are gorgeous. The musical film will have its general release to U.S. movie theaters on May 24.

Always Be My Maybe: The rom-com explores the premise of “the friend zone” with the comedic duo of Ali Wong and Randall Park. It will be on the Netflix streaming service starting May 31.

Late Night, Mindy Kaling’s buzzy look at sexism and diversity in the television writers' room (partially based on her real-life experience), will hit theaters on June 7, 2019. It stars Kaling and Emma Thompson.

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