The National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium issued a recent report on “Asian Americans in Prime Time.” The four major nets were observed for the past five years for their inclusion of Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) actors, writers, directors, development contracts, executives, and hires from various outside companies.
Despite the continued stereotypical portrail of Asians and other minorities there were a few very bright spots:
There are currently three standout programs amongst the major broadcasting networks that have reoccurring Asian American cast with developed roles that are integral to the plot.
LOST features Naveen Andrews, a London born Indian, as Sayid a former Iraqi Red Guard officer; along with Daniel Dae Kim (Jin) and Yunjin Kim (Sun) who appear as a Korean husband and wife.
The Korean couple’s deeply intimate relationship is contextually accurate. After first seeing them through the stereotypical eyes of the other cast members, the viewer is let in on a beautiful love story that is not emphasized in the physical but the very emotional.
The writer in LOST for the Korean couple is a Latino, says Narasaki. This works, while just a few years ago the failure of comedian Margaret Cho’s sitcom based on a Korean immigrant family was based on non-Asian writers that didn’t understand culture, or was unwilling to step outside of the box.
“To me, you don’t have to be Asian to write about Asian characters, but you have to know them,” she said.
Narasaki learned that when Sandra Oh read for a role in Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), her role had been written for “a petite blond.” She molded the role into an “undefined Asian American” part.
NBC’s ER and The Frog’s Gilmore Girls were the other two shows praised for their treatment and presentation of Asian Americans. Hawaii’s own Keiko Agena stars in Gilmore Girls and was a featured player in an episode of ER.
Asian American Press: Asian Americans in Prime Time
