Old school hip hop plays as an 11-year-old boy proudly shows off his jewelry selections from the dressing room of JC Penney. Decked out in aviators and chains, he looks the part of an up-and-coming rapper, until his mom refuses to purchase the accessories.
Eddie Huang, the star of ABC’s new show, “Fresh off the Boat,” struggles to fit the image of hip hop enthusiast because of his mother’s stingy nature.
On Feb. 4, ABC debuted“Fresh off the Boat,” a sitcom that follows two Taiwanese immigrants and their three children in the 1990s.
The pilot episode opens after the Huangs have just moved from Washington D.C.’s Chinatown to the white suburb of Orlando, Florida, to pursue their dreams of opening a steakhouse.
Randall Park, best known for playing Kim Jong Un in “The Interview,” plays the father, Louis Huang. His genuine smile helps him to accurately portray the caring “fun dad.”
Jessica Huang, the ambitious mother of three, is played by Constance Wu. This is her first role in a major production.
Hudson Yang plays the narrator of the show 11-year-old Eddie Huang, the family’s eldest son, whose appreciation for Notorious B.I.G. and the world of hip hop marks him as the black sheep of the family.
Despite Eddie’s appreciation for American culture, he struggles to fit in with his peers. The family tries to cope with their new lifestyle however they can: Eddie’s mother begins rollerblading with the suburban moms, while Eddie switches from his mother’s home cooked Asian meals to Lunchables in the school cafeteria.
In the pilot, the family restaurant is not as successful as the Huangs had hoped, and to cope with the lack of customers, mother Jessica tightens the restaurant’s budget, despite her husband’s beliefs.
Meanwhile, the three Huang children try to grow used to their new school and peers. While Eddie finds himself at the bottom of the food chain, his younger brothers are transitioning well.
“Fresh Off the Boat” helps to diversify the cast of ABC’s television choices. However, the show seems to have a large emphasis on perpetuating Asian stereotypes.
Eddie’s mother has a large concern over her children’s grades and even begins to tutor them herself after Eddie’s straight As lead her to believe he isn’t being challenged enough.
Though the show does perpetuate stereotypes, it is based closely off of a memoir by celebrity chef Eddie Huang, so the character’s traits are not sensationalized. While there are similarities between Asian stereotypes and what is on the screen, the same can be said for dozens of shows with a cast of a different race.
Though “Fresh off the Boat” shares a family focused plotline with ABC’s most popular family sitcom “Modern Family,” the comparisons stop there. “Fresh off the Boat” boasts edgy jokes and has a focus on a single character, Eddie, which “Modern Family” lacks.
The show shares many characteristics with Nickelodeon’s off air show, “Everybody Hates Chris.” Both shows are based on a minority celebrity’s life growing up and are narrated from their point of view with plenty of humor.
“Fresh off the Boat” airs Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. on ABC.
