Fresh Off the Boat

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This article is about the TV series. For the book upon which it is based, see Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir.

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Fresh Off the Boat
Fresh Off the Boat intertitle.png
Genre Sitcom
Created by Nahnatchka Khan
Based on Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir by Eddie Huang
Starring <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Narrated by Eddie Huang (season 1)
Opening theme "Fresh off the Boat" performed by Danny Brown[1]
Composer(s) Bo Boddie
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
Mandarin
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 37 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Producer(s) <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Production location(s) Orlando, Florida (Series is taped in Los Angeles, California)
Camera setup Single-camera setup
Running time 30 minutes
Production company(s) <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Distributor 20th Television
Release
Original network ABC
Original release February 4, 2015 (2015-02-04) –
present
External links
Website
Production website

Fresh Off the Boat is a comedy series starring Hudson Yang, Randall Park, and Constance Wu[3][4][5] that is loosely inspired by the life of chef and food personality Eddie Huang and his book Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir. It is the first American television situation comedy starring an Asian-American family as protagonists to air on network primetime since Margaret Cho's All American Girl, which aired for one season in 1994.[6] Its style has been compared to the comedy series Everybody Hates Chris.[7] The flashback technique with voice-over narration from the present day (first season only) is similar to The Wonder Years.

The show debuted on ABC with two preview episodes on February 4, 2015. The second episode which aired after Modern Family was promoted as a bonus episode and formally premiered in its prime time slot on February 10, 2015.[8] The first of the two preview episodes garnered 7.94 million viewers, becoming the second highest rated comedy premiere that season.

On May 7, 2015, ABC renewed Fresh off the Boat for a second season of 13 episodes.[9] ABC ordered 9 additional episodes on October 13 and two more on November 17, leading to a total of 24 episodes for the second season.[10][11] On March 3, 2016, ABC announced that the series has been renewed for a third season.[12]

Premise

The story follows the course of Eddie Huang's Taiwanese family as they make their way from Chinatown of Washington, D.C. to Orlando, Florida to open up a cowboy-themed steak restaurant in 1995[13] (with the first season being set between 1995 and 1997).[14][15] His mother struggles with the culture clash of her upbringing with a Florida community that doesn't have a large Asian population,[16] his father embraces the "American Dream", and Eddie struggles with assimilating into school.

Cast and characters

Main cast

  • Hudson Yang as Eddie Huang,[17] the show's protagonist and a die-hard hip-hop and rap fan, as well as a great fan of basketball. The oldest of three brothers, he eschews Taiwanese culture and is more rebellious than his younger siblings, which makes him a frequent target of Jessica's complaints. Because Eddie represents the writer of the book that the show is based upon, all of the Season 1 episodes were told from his perspective. A creative change for Season 2 expands the focus to the entire Huang family.
  • Randall Park as Louis Huang,[4][5] father of Eddie, Emery and Evan and also husband of Jessica. He is nice, naive, and embraces all things American. He owns a Western steakhouse restaurant in Orlando named Cattleman's Ranch.
  • Constance Wu as Jessica (née Chu) Huang,[18] wife of Louis and mother of Eddie, Emery and Evan. She is a no-nonsense, pragmatic woman who believes in tough love. She wants her children to be successful and also keep in touch with their Taiwanese heritage.
  • Forrest Wheeler as Emery Huang,[19] middle child of the Huang family. He is a romantic and lovable kid who is fairly intelligent. He is also depicted as charismatic and mature for his age.
  • Ian Chen as Evan Huang,[19] the youngest child who is a star student and obeys the rules. He is Jessica's favorite child.
  • Lucille Soong as Grandma Jenny Huang (season 2–present, recurring season 1), Louis' mother and Eddie's grandmother. Although she clearly understands English, she speaks only in Mandarin (subtitled in English).
  • Chelsey Crisp as Honey (season 2–present, recurring season 1) [20] the Huangs' next door neighbor and Jessica's new best friend.

Recurring cast

  • Cattleman's Steakhouse staff:
  • Eddie's school friends:
    • Luna Blaise as Nichole, also Honey's stepdaughter
    • Isabella Alexander as Alison, also Eddie's girlfriend
    • Prophet Bolden as Walter
    • Trevor Larcom as Trent Masterson
    • Evan Hannemann as Dave Selby
    • Dash Williams as Brian Stone
    • Connor Rosen as Doug Pew
    • Brady Tutton as Brock Blanca
    • Albert Tsai as Phillip Goldstein[21][22]
  • Others:
    • Ray Wise as Marvin, Honey's much-older husband and Nichole's father
    • Rachel Cannon as Deidre
    • Stacey Scowley as Carol-Joan
    • Colleen Ryan as Amanda
    • Kimberly Crandall as Lisa
    • Arden Myrin as Ashley Alexander
    • David Goldman as Charlie Hunter
    • Maria Bamford as Principal Thomas
    • Susan Park as Connie Chen, Jessica's sister
    • C.S. Lee as Steve Chen, Jessica's brother-in-law
    • Eddie Huang as Adult Eddie Huang (voice only). He is the narrator of the show for season one only.

Development and production

Eddie Huang's 2013 Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir caught the attention of TV networks upon release, with ABC and 20th Century Fox Television signing in late that year. Huang, the show's creator and one of the producers of the series,[5] led a Twitter campaign[23][24] to change the original show name, Far East Orlando, when it was in development.[6]

On May 13, 2014, ABC ordered the first season of the show during the May 2014 upfront[7][25] to air in 2015 as a mid-season replacement.[7][26]

The Fresh Off the Boat cast at a panel discussion for the show.

The real-life Eddie Huang narrates the first season only. Eleven episodes into the first season, Huang expressed frustration over ABC's approach, saying it presents an "ambiguous, cornstarch story about Asian-Americans" that perpetuates "an artificial representation of Asian American lives." The sitcom was adapted to suit a broader American audience.[27] He also Tweeted in April 2015, "I understand this is a comedy but the great comics speak from pain: Pryor, Rock, Louis...This show had that opportunity but it fails."[28] Despite his concern for authenticity, he finds the show a "milestone" for Asian-Americans as they are at the forefront of this television series.[29] Huang further explains in an interview on National Public Radio (United States), "The studio and network are not on a mission to not represent us. They just don't know how to." [30]

Huang described the exchange between his team and ABC as brief. In an article in Vulture Magazine Huang expressed concern over the studio's decision that Nahnatchka Khan, an Iranian-American writer, would represent his memoir for the TV scripts, believing that she would present the story as less than realistic and authentic. "I would be excited, but you attached a Persian writer, and I’m kinda worried it’s going to be The Shahs of Cul-de-Sac Holando."[31]

In 2015, Constance Wu was interviewed by Jenny Zhang for The Lenny Interview. In this interview she spoke about her initial fear of criticizing some of the shows details. Now in its second season, Wu speaks openly about her request for the staff to make the show more specific, stating "If you change the food to a 1,000-year-old black egg with tofu and scallions, it will be a little more specific, and specificity is just better for character, and it's more interesting than, say, tofu and rice."[32]

Season two changes

Fresh Off the Boat made many changes for the second season including the following:

  • Eddie Huang reduced his involvement with the series, including no longer being the narrator, due to creative differences with ABC as well as time constraints with other projects. He's still credited as a producer and that the show was based off his memoir.
  • With Huang's departure, ABC decided not to recast the narrator role, dropping it from the series altogether.
  • The writing will now be focused on the entire Huang family instead of just Eddie, in particular more Louis- and Jessica-centered episodes.
  • Lucille Soong and Chelsey Crisp were both promoted from recurring cast to main cast.

Episodes

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Main article: List of Fresh Off the Boat episodes
Season Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired
1 13 February 4, 2015 (2015-02-04) April 21, 2015 (2015-04-21)
2 24 September 22, 2015 (2015-09-22) May 24, 2016 (2016-05-24)
3 TBA TBA TBA

Broadcast

Fresh Off the Boat premiered on FOX8 in Australia starting May 10, 2015; it is also set to air on Network Ten, but a date has not been set.[33] It debuted on March 12, 2015 in South Africa on Fox Crime.[34]

In South Asia, Fresh Off The Boat, airs 12 hours after the U.S. broadcast on Star World Premiere HD.[35]

Reception

Seasonal ratings

Season Timeslot (ET) No. of
episodes		 Premiered Ended TV season Rank Viewers
(in millions)
Date Premiere viewers
(in millions)		 Date Finale viewers
(in millions)
1 Wednesday 8:30 pm
(Episode 1)
Wednesday 9:30 pm
(Episode 2)
Tuesday 8:00 pm
(Episodes 3-13)		 13 February 4, 2015 7.94[36] April 21, 2015 5.08[37] 2014–15 78 6.99[38]
2 Tuesday 8:30 pm
(2015)
Tuesday 8:00 pm
(2016)		 24 September 22, 2015 6.05[39] May 24, 2016 4.88[40] 2015–16 86 5.48[41]
3 Tuesday 9:00 pm TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA 2016–17 TBA TBA

Critical reception

Fresh Off the Boat has received critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the show has a 91% certified fresh approval rating, with the critical consensus "Once the cliched gags of Fresh off the Boat are superseded by a grounded truthfulness, the series evolves into a humorously charming family sitcom."[42] It also has earned a 75 out of 100 score on Metacritic, indicating 'generally favorable reviews'.[43] Particularly, Constance Wu's performance has been acclaimed, earning nominations for both the TCA Awards and the EWwy Award for Best Supporting Actress in Comedy, as well as an "Individual Achievement in Comedy" nomination at the Critics' Choice Television Awards.

Reviews cited the show's potential to increase the visibility and accuracy of Asian Americans in arts and entertainment.[7][44][45] For writer and poet Jenny Zhang (who interviewed Constance Wu for Lenny Letter), Fresh Off the Boat was a welcome change from the representation of Asian Americans on the TV series she had seen as a child at age 11, where the few people who looked like her were either the subjects of crude jokes or had only minor cameos.[32]

While admirable that ABC has decided to feature a sitcom about a Taiwanese-American family on primetime many concerns about the subliminal messaging the writing of the show produces. "It means that there are real conversations being had about Asian American identity in addition to acknowledging the lack of inclusivity Asian Americans have had in the nation's cultural and entertainment dialogue."[46] Fresh Off the Boat captures the essence of why diversity in media matters—we, like young Eddie, all want to see ourselves as worthy of being protagonists, whether in stories or in real life. However, lost in translation are the stories of parents and grandparents, who also have claim to labels like the "Asian-American experience."[47]

Misrepresentation of Source Material

Some reviews of the show's representation of an Asian American experience have been enthusiastic at the prospect of Asian American representation. However the reaction of viewers remains largely critical of ABC's adaptation of Huang's memoir. While reception of Huang's original memoir was largely positive and enthusiastic, the television adaptation has received numerous negative responses. "Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir is a brash and funny book hobbled by its youthspeak and corresponding stance."[48] and Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir is a surprisingly sophisticated memoir about race and assimilation in America. It’s an angry book, as much James Baldwin and Jay-Z as Amy Tan.[49]

Much of the conversation about the television adaptation is rooted in the sense that while the inclusion of an Asian-American cast and story is fresh and exciting "there seems to be a general dissatisfaction rooted in misrepresentation.".[46]

Television critic Emily Nussbaum, in her review for The New Yorker, compares the memoir and television version of Huang's relationship with his father and with black culture, "Without a cruel bully for a father, Eddie’s taste for hip-hop feels more superficial—in the book, it’s an abused kid’s catharsis and an identification with black history."[50] Huang’s identification with black history is controversial at times such as his comments[51] made on Real Time with Bill Maher.[52]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee Result
2015 Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Actress in a Comedy Series Constance Wu Nominated
TCA Awards Individual Achievement in Comedy Nominated
EWwy Awards EWwy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Nominated
2016 Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Actress in a Comedy Series Nominated
Best Actor in a Comedy Series Randall Park Nominated
Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Series – Supporting Young Actor Ian Chen Nominated
Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast In A TV Series Hudson Yang, Forrest Wheeler, Ian Chen Won
Best Performance In A TV Series - Recurring Young Actress (14-21) Luna Blaise Won

See also

References

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  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ http://deadline.com/2015/06/chelsey-crisp-promoted-regular-fresh-off-the-boat-1201464149/
  21. ↑ http://www.ew.com/article/2016/02/18/fresh-off-boat-ian-chen-dr-ken
  22. ↑ http://www.ew.com/article/2015/11/05/albert-tsai-ian-chen-fresh-off-boat-dr-ken-casting
  23. ↑ TELL ABC YOU WANT IT TO BE CALLED FRESH OFF THE BOAT! Eddie Huang on Twitter. 2014-05-12. Retrieved 2014-05-16.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ http://www.indiantelevision.com/television/tv-channels/english-entertainment/star-world-premiere-hd-to-simulcast-23-shows-in-india-with-us-150922
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  48. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  50. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  51. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  52. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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