PILOT REVIEW: Fresh Off the Boat

FRESH OFF THE BOAT

Starring: Randall Park, Constance Wu, Hudson Yang, Forrest Wheeler, Ian Chen

Inspired by the Book "Fresh Off the Boat" by Eddie Huang
Created for Television by Nahnatchka Khan
Written by Nahnatchka Khan, Directed by Lynn Shelton

THE PREMISE: ABC's new sitcom Fresh Off the Boat is the first network sitcom in 20 years centered on Asian American characters. It's also set twenty years ago - in 1995 Orlando and is based on the childhood of popular chef Eddie Huang. In the show, Eddie (Hudson Yang) is moving from DC to Orlando with his family because his father, Louis (Randall Park), has purchased a barbecue restaurant. His mother, Jessica (Constance Wu), is much more suspicious of the "American Dream" than Louis. Rounding out the main cast is Eddie's brothers Emery and Evan (Forrest Wheeler and Ian Chen).

THE GOOD: So far, this show is all about Constance Wu for me. She has such a natural sense of comic timing and can do a lot with mere inflections or facial expressions. I absolutely love the setting and premise. There's been a lot of talk this year about the new TV hits with black casts or leads (Empire, Black-ish, How to Get Away with Murder). Yet, the Asian American community has been much more ignored over the years by network TV. In addition to the freshness from that respect, it has a great setting in 1995 Orlando. There are lots of interesting stories to tell from a time that people are already nostalgic for and just recently starting to explore in media from an historical standpoint. While Wu is my favorite, the whole cast is pretty solid.

THE BAD: I'm not totally sold on the restaurant side of the premise. I loved the stuff with the family including the shopping trip and visit to the principal. But I didn't find the scenes set in the restaurant all that funny. The only time I enjoyed the restaurant was when Constance Wu was in the scene. I didn't find the whole commercial bit, including the tag scene, very funny. I'm excited to see the second episode (I haven't watched it yet) because I felt like this was one of the shows where all the funniest scenes were in the trailer. That's not a bad reflection of the rest of the show but it didn't give me a lot of new laughs.

BOTTOM LINE: Fresh Off the Boat has all the tools to be the next The Middle, Modern Family, or The Goldbergs and I hope ABC is patient with it on Tuesday. There's a lot to like about what's already there and it absolutely seems like the type of show that's only going to grow from here. ABC has found another warm and funny family comedy.