Coming to ABC this week is a new comedy titled Fresh Off the Boat, which is inspired by the memoir of chef Eddie Huang. Set in 1995, Fresh Off the Boat centers around the Huangs, who move from a sweet a comfortable life in Washington, DC to the unfamiliar territory of Orlando, Florida, where they try their best to fit in. So let's meet the Huangs.
Louis - The good natured and always positive patriarch of the Huang family. His opening a restaurant in Orlando is the reason behind the Huang family moving from DC. He always sees the good in people and believes in "do good, have good".
Jessica - The strict and cynical matriarch of Huang family, she is the opposite of her husband and doesn't think that everyone is inherently good.
Eddie - The 11 year old hip-hop loving eldest kid of the Huang family. He wants to stay away from his roots in order to blend in his school.
Emery - The middle kid who is a social chameleon and has no trouble fitting in to his new surroundings.
Evan - The youngest son who is a mama's boy.
Grandma - Louis’ mother who mostly sits in a wheelchair and only speaks Chinese, though she does seem to understand English.
The first episode centers on the Huang family settling in to their new life in Orlando. As Jessica steps out of her house, she is welcomed by the slightly racist rollerblading moms of her neighborhood. Although Jessica hangs out with them and tries to fit in, she is unable to make an actually make a friend and terribly misses her life in DC. Meanwhile, although Eddie's brothers easily fit in their new school, Eddie finds it a real challenge. Although he is initially accepted by the cool kids at the school because of his attire, he is rebuffed when they see the lunch his mother packed for him. Meanwhile, Jessica is shocked to find out that the restaurant is not doing good at all, something which Louis hid from her.
The second episode sees Eddie getting in trouble with his mother - when he gets straight A's at school. Meanwhile, at the restaurant, Jessica and Louis argue over how to run the business and manage the employees. I found this episode the funniest among the first three I have been able to watch.
My favorite character in the show is Jessica (played by Constance Wu). Wu is amazing in her role, and delivers each and every joke perfectly. The little battles between her and Eddie, and her and Louis are quite enjoyable. Eddie's younger brothers are also fun to watch and so is their grandmother, who although is featured only a few scenes but makes her mark in the ones she is.
The show is hilarious and one of the best sitcoms of this year. I really advise you all to check it out.
Fresh off the Boat airs a special preview on February 4th; one episode at 8:30 and another at 9:30. It then moves to its regular time slot of Tuesdays at 8 starting February 10th.
Thanks for the review. Definitely checking this out when it airs. I'm really pleased that the majority of people who have seen this in advance are recommending the show. It seems like it will be a huge hit for ABC.
ReplyDeleteum how do you get in trouble for gettting A's? LOL
ReplyDeleteFailing to get A+'s?
ReplyDeleteno the reviewer said FOR getting A's
ReplyDeleteI really hope this show does well. It has great potential.
ReplyDeleteHope it boosts Carter as well.
Cuz it means school is too easy
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to this one, ABC is pretty good with family based comedies and I like how Black-ish has been balancing Black issues with every day family issues and sounds like Fresh of the Boat will do the same with Asian-American issues. Also up for some 90s nostalgia.
ReplyDeleteIf just rhis show could have made it through the Wednesday comedy block... *sigh*
ReplyDeleteHope it does well on Tuesday
Of all the midseason shows, I'm really eagerly anticipating this one. It's about time that a primetime show is centered on Asian Americans.
ReplyDeleteDon't you know that in Asian families an A stands for Average? ;)
ReplyDeleteEither he gets in trouble for not getting perfect scores (the classic Chinese trope) or because the mom thinks he's not doing enough at school leading to a future 'vision' that her kid will be dumb as rocks when he's an adult.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for this one. This wasn't made clear to me by the promos but apparently two episodes will air next Tuesday, not just one.
ReplyDeleteI dont share everyone else's optimism for its ratings but one thig to be said is that everyone who has watched it really liked it, props to the show for that!
ReplyDeleteI hope this does better than All American Girl did. It looks good based on the previews and it would be cool to be able to watch a show that focuses on an Asian family which is a demographic that is heavily stereotyped when it's not completely overlooked. I love ABC's new push for diversity and I hope it continues to pay off.
ReplyDeletegetting A's is not doing enough in school?
ReplyDeletewhoa then what grade is Awesome?
ReplyDeleteYes. Many Chinese parents view that as slacking off because you're not maximizing your mental capacity and capabilities. This is why they'll give extra homework and/or activities to make sure their kid is using their full potential.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you're in a very strict Chinese family, anything less than a perfect score means punishment.
I am hoping it at least gets mid 1s, though even that will be a mean feat.
ReplyDeleteBut you seem to have more realistic expectations. A lot of people are expecting it to be a hit or something which I have a hard time imagining. But I could be wrong, I have been surprised with new shows a lot before, so what do I know!
ReplyDeleteThis show is either going to be a hit or a bubble show.
ReplyDeleteNext Tuesday is going to be Episode 3 & 4 and episodes 5-13 will follow
ReplyDeleteMe too, but how well it does on Tuesdays is the real question.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what you mean by optimism, but I think it will premiere in the low 2s
ReplyDeleteI really like the first couple of episodes, and like you Jessica is my favorite. Constance Wu was hilarious in every scene.
ReplyDeleteso what are they supposed to get?
ReplyDelete