When it was originally on: 2015-2020

Original network: ABC

Where you can stream it now: Hulu

Had I seen it before: Nope.

What IMDb says: A Taiwanese family makes their way in America during the 1990s.

Why I picked it: This is a great example of a show that had far more success than most tv shows ever do, and yet never quite felt like it “made it” the way some other sitcoms did. It got six seasons dang it, so clearly people were watching it and enjoying it. Yet it never seemed like a major awards contender or a critical darling, not that it was particularly disliked by those groups either. Yes, part of it was probably that it’s not about white people and thus didn’t always get a fair shake. Despite breaking new ground in that way, it’s not “edgy” in the way that FX, HBO, or Netflix comedies in this era were. I think there’s a chance that its only crime was being a network sitcom in an era where it wasn’t cool to be a network sitcom. That got me curious… is this an underrated hidden gem that’s been hiding in plain sight this whole time?

What I liked: I don’t think I realized until fairly recently that this family isn’t necessarily “fresh off the boat” from another country*; it’s about a family who’s relocated from a U.S. city with a higher Asian population (Washington, D.C.) to another city (Orlando, FL) where they’re the only Asian family. I also don’t think I realized it was a period piece set in 1995. This means young Eddie is already fully immersed in U.S. culture, and the fact that it’s ’90s hip hop culture just adds an extra layer of comedy. I also think it’s an interesting way of doing an immigrant story that feels fresh (pun intended). This family likes the U.S. and that’s what they’re used to. They’re just used to an American community where there are other immigrants. They’ve already lived the ~American Dream~ on some level without having to compromise their culture, and Eddie and Jessica can’t figure out why suddenly they have to now.

I also thought they did a great job balancing kid drama with adult drama. We have Eddie getting made fun of for bringing Chinese food to school. Eddie’s father Louis trying to drum up business for his restaurant. Eddie’s mother, Jessica having trouble fitting in with the white ladies of the neighborhood and feeling resentful of Louis for exaggerating how well the restaurant is doing. All of these plot lines feel complete and reveal something about their central character’s attitude towards trying to fit in with the white people. All of the actors are wonderfully charismatic, and Hudson Yang is particularly impressive as Eddie given how young he was.

What I didn’t like: The two siblings and grandmother aren’t really explored at all. The pilot knows this and even makes a funny joke about it in the beginning, but I still would’ve liked to know a bit more about them. That funny joke isn’t going to last forever. I’m guessing the show develops them more later, but it’s still weird to watch a pilot for a family sitcom and feel like half of the family is missing. However, given that they only had 22 minutes and they did do such a good job building out the characters they chose to focus on,

Do I want to watch Ep. 2?: There was nothing inherently wrong or bad here, but I don’t know that this was quite good enough to jump the line over other sitcoms on my list. It’s probably perfectly entertaining but I don’t know that I’ll be prioritizing it moving forward.

*Okay yes, my ignorant ass thought they were from China this whole time, but it’s Taiwan. I’m sorry!