Fresh Off the Boat & The Limits of Asian Representation

Hey everyone, thanks for watching! I was fighting off a bit of a cold, so apologies if I sound congested in parts of the video. I hope y’all are thriving and enjoying life. Much love. ✌🏼- Terrence P.S. Support us on patreon if you wanna help me buy some cold medicine haha 🥴

I wrote a pilot back in 2018 where the main character was Indian American and struggled to understand his Indian culture since he had only been to India once as a kid at 4. The network executive told me they would pick up the show if I changed his race and it was a fantasy show where he finds out he wasn’t fully human.

As a Taiwanese who grew up loving American entertainment culture, I think that the biggest problem with Asian American-themed shows and films nowadays are that the writers put more effort into portraying Asian Americans as "Asians" and not as Americans, and many stories about finding one's own roots and staying true to one's heritage that is intended to be culturally authentic give off a heavy go-back-to-your-own-country vibe instead.

Wow 😢 I had no idea Constance Wu was dealing with all of that. Honestly I don’t think it’s fair to sum up her tweets about the show being renewed for the 6th season as: “She expressed disappointment because it forced her to miss out on other artistic ventures.” I’m sure the missed opportunities were a part of the issue, but would you want to go back to a show/environment where you were regularly sexually harassed? She wanted to put that whole thing in her rear view mirror so she could heal and move forward. Even if the producer was no longer there or the harassment had stopped, the trauma is still there. Being stuck in the environment where you were previously (or currently) sexually harassed can’t be easy. The severity of the backlash she received and that horrible DM is heartbreaking. I hope she’s ok now.

As a first generation Filipina American who grew up to silent generation and boomer parents who both immigrated here, I struggled growing up because I grew up in an overwhelmingly predominantly white area where I was often reminded that I was different so I really felt that depiction of the struggle between the "American" culture and one's own culture that was depicted in Fresh off the Boat. Also hearing Eddie's father talk about disciplining his children, very much reminded me of my father even though mine has passed. I think that the issue is that when trying to portray "Asian American" experiences, or any minority experiences for that matter, in media, they keep trying to center the one part of the identity - the "Asian-ness", the stereotypes, whatever. The problem is that as Asian-Americans, our identity is not just our heritage, our cultural background, familial interactions, but also our experience and interactions in the larger scheme, and it's frustrating that when there is representation, it's often pigeonholed.

I remember hearing so much talk a few years ago about how constance wu was "difficult to work with," a terrible costar and too conceited. Hearing about the assault she endured, I'm embarrassed to admit that I bought into that crap. "Difficult to work with" is often slapped on an actress who was assaulted and "isn't happy about it."

The biggest problem with Asian representation is that whenever there is representation, the character’s entire personality is their Asianness. Most people just want to be seen as a human being, not a tool to be used as a political measage

My heart breaks for Constance Wu. It seems like such an awful place to be in, and horribly traumatic. I hope she ends up as ok as can be considering

I'm one of those Asians who never watched Fresh Off the Boat, and after watching this, I really want to read Eddie Huang's memoir.

I totally get Huang's frustration, but there's a part of me that wonders whether or not he's seen other ABC shows. They're all pretty saccharine, they were never not going to neuter the reality of that story.

I am Black person who watched All-American Girl (AAG) when it aired on ABC because I was fan of Margaret Cho's standup, and was sad when the show was cancelled. I also watched Fresh Off The Boat (FOTB) because I was a fan of the short film "Dragon of Love" with Randall Park. I watched all six seasons of FOTP -- when it should have been cancelled after season 4. My partner at the time was Chinese and stopped watching the show after a few episodes in season 1 because they couldn't relate to the characters ... and was mad they were wearing shoes in the houses. 😄 Thanks for making this video!

If Randall Park had played an abusive father on this sitcom, it would have been more of a drama than a sitcom

I definitely agree with the need for more media that looks at Southeast Asian American experiences; as you mentioned in your video, Chinese- and Korean- Americans tend to be a stand-in for all Asian Americans in the popular consciousness, and that leads to a flattening and essentializing of Asian American communities. Particularly when we look at groups like Cambodian and Hmong Americans, who still have extremely high rates of poverty, we're seeing a very different version of "being Asian American" than the "model minority" narratives.

As a black woman I appreciate seeing any and ALL minorities represented in media. I’m glad we as black people are finally being represented more but we definitely need to see more Asians Hispanics, American Indians etc. I want to see more of this personally. Great video!

They should've made the show more like everybody hates Chris. I often felt that Jessica especially let go too quickly of her standards whereas Chris's mom only got easier on him when she saw him mature. And also it could've been funnier. It was all very "quirky" but not so funny

Not Asian but can sooooo relate to this essay. You verbalized much of what I’ve felt regarding representation but could not quite express. My culture where my family is from is very different than the culture I am surrounded by. But I’m not all one or the other. I’m a combination of my “home” culture and the culture I am currently in. It’s unique and it’s ok

I don't know how to say this well, so I'll say it imperfectly: I can see your love of hip-hop in your word choice. Your script was lyrical in places. "A small step forward is still a step forward." Compelling stuff. Well said.

As a white American I see the hypocrisy where in America we consider WHERE in America you came from if it is the south, or mid-west (ect.) and create stereotypes based on just the geological demographic of ONE country but can't even fathom that the CONTINENT of Asia IS made up of different countries yet we clump ALL those nationalities together under the word "Asian" and call it a day. I'll admit I also did this when younger because it is "easier" to do but it is not the right thing to do and the older I get the more I realize how messed up thinking like that is... It is because of the push to get those diverse stories out there that has helped educate me on this matter even if they are not the best they are still better then what we had to begin with...

I remember falling away from the show because they weren't going to do anything with it. Constance Wu carried-- absolutely carried that show. I wish it had gone to a different network. On a different note, I'd love a reality or scripted show about Vietnamese from New Orleans. I think seeing a community as strong as Vietnamese within their blended New Orleans culture(which most Americans recognize but don't really understand) would work so well because it's so damn specific. I would love for execs to understand that we want specificity. Specificity is good.

One thing I remember wondering about in the show was why the grandmother was in a wheelchair. According to the memoir, her feet were bound and it really messed them up. Little Eddie once saw her naked feet as some doctors were treating them. According to him, they were all mangled looking and it made him resent the tiny silk shoes in her closet I honestly think that this show would've been more authentic as an hour long family drama series