(Photo by Netflix)
31 Important TV Shows About the Asian American and Pacific Islander Experience
Hollywood does not have a good track record of depicting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. They’ve traditionally been marginalized as the sidekicks to a (white, male) crime-fighter or have been stereotyped as punchlines or comic relief in sitcoms.
But, especially as there has been a bigger push for diversity in storytelling on TV, some shows have stood out as more positive portrayals of AAPI characters. We’ve rounded up a list of some of them, which include Anna May Wong’s groundbreaking work in The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong (it was a part written just for her and aired in the 1950s!) and Pat Morita’s work in the short-lived comedy Mr. T and Tina (the Welcome Back, Kotter spin-off was one of the first to feature a predominantly Asian American cast).
More recent series on this list include Young Rock, which is based on the life of the half-Samoan Dwayne Johnson, and PEN15, where half-Japanese comedian Maya Erskine plays a version of younger herself — and cast her actual mother, Mutsuko Erskine, to play her mom. Ensemble shows, such as the medical dramas ER, Grey’s Anatomy, and The Good Doctor; dramedy Orange Is the New Black; and comedy Silicon Valley are also included for their work in spotlighting AAPI roles. And the miniseries The Night Of was included because of its portrayal of the racism that so many AAPI people face — in this case, Riz Ahmed’s Pakistani American Naz Khan.
Other shows were left off the list mostly on a technicality; Lost’s Jin (Daniel Dae Kim), Sun (Yunjin Kim), and Sayid (Naveen Andrews) were not included simply because their characters were not Asian American. Whereas, London-set Killing Eve’s lead, Sandra Oh, is Korean Canadian, but her character, the titular Eve Polastri, is from Connecticut. As Oh herself deadpanned at the 2019 Emmy ceremony when she was nominated for best actress in a drama series, “It’s an honor just to be Asian.”
Recommended:
Read on to learn more about some of the most important series about the Asian American and Pacific Islander experience.
Are there shows you think should be on the list? Tell us in the comments!
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