The Best Asian American TV Show Ever

Into the Next Stage
by George Toshio Johnston
Saturday, December 23, 2006, Rafu Shimpo

I'm going to cut to the chase, as the cliché goes, and say it: My Life...Disoriented is the best Asian American TV show I've ever seen and if this sort of thing interests you, it's worth your while to see it.

Now, let's rewind. What is My Life...Disoriented? It's an installment of PBS' series Independent Lens that airs locally on KCET on Tuesday, Dec. 26 at 10 p.m. Although it is essentially a pilot for a half-hour dramedy, it's not officially a pilot, so whatever you do, don't call this initial episode that introduces the show, its setting, its characters, etc., and hopefully creates enough interest to fund additional shows (which is a rough definition of a pilot episode) a pilot.

Here's the thing: Literally for decades, Asian faces have not been a major part of the American TV and movie landscape. But the face of America has, in fact, been changing. In 2006, more TV shows are including Asian Americans and Asians among the cast members; Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, Lost, Smallville and ER are a few examples. Meantime, in movies, this year's Academy Award nominees may be one of the most diverse ever, thanks to movies like Babel, Flags of Our Fathers, Letters From Iwo Jima, Dreamgirls, The Pursuit of Happyness and others.

Back to TV, the progress exemplified by including Asian faces in ensemble casts is gratifying and fantastic. It reflects a reality that is actually nothing new, but that the paradigm shift has finally occurred is really good news.

But one thing that has been elusive is an American TV show that primarily stars Asian Americans, yet is universal in its appeal. The Cosby Show broke barriers by proving that a show featuring a black American family could be universally appealing and a ratings hit. The George Lopez Show broke barriers by proving that a show about a Hispanic American family could be universally appealing and a ratings hit.

The same can't be said for Asian Americans.

In the 1970s, Mr. T and Tina starred Pat Morita and was the first Asian American sitcom. It lasted a few episodes before it was canned. It took about 20 years before the next "first Asian American sitcom", titled All American Girl starring Margaret Cho, was made. It actually survived one season before it was canned. Now, about a decade after that, the next opportunity is upon us, and it is the aforementioned show, My Life...Disoriented, which is actually more of a half-hour dramedy as opposed to a sitcom.

MLD focuses on a high school girl named Kimberlee Fung (Di Quon) and her relationships with her elder sister Aimee (Karin Anna Cheung, Better Luck Tomorrow), her parents, played by Dennis Dun and Hira Ambrosino, grandparents, uncle and aunt (Tamlyn Tomita), Hapa cousin Phil, not to mention all the kids at their new high school in Bakersfield, Calif.

While the concept of the "new kid on the block" navigating the shark-infested waters of high school has been used in everything from The Karate Kid to Beverly Hills, 90210 to The O.C., I can guarantee you that it's not been done this way before. In MLD, the Fung family relocates to Asian-deprived Bakersfield from San Francisco after their father loses his job. As a family, they end up helping with the operation of the family business, which, embarrassingly, is the "Touch of the Orient" massage parlor.

In the tradition of Freaks & Geeks, the "brilliant but canceled" TV series of a few years ago, MLD mixes laughs, usually derived from humiliating circumstances, with poignant, sad or melancholy events.

I'm not going to synopsize the episode here, since you are going to watch it (right?), but suffice to say that writer Claire Yorita Lee and director Eric Byler did some great work within the genre, weaving a multilayered show with lots of threads waiting to be answered. Also, the way the relationships are played, for instance, between the sisters, the parents, the mother and her sister, Kimberlee and the different high school cliques — well, it's all really masterfully done, with as much or more being communicated without words than with.

Not only that, actress Quon brings a vital, fresh appeal to her character and is completely reinforced by her cast mates. Everybody nails their parts.

I'm going to have to commit more time to the behind-the-scenes aspects of the show to my next column, but I spent a lot of time talking with Byler and Lee before writing this. One of the things Byler told me was that the genesis of the show was that Quon got the ball rolling by making it a vehicle for herself, which I think is brilliant. Why more actors and actresses don't do this is beyond me, but more than ever, the means and the tools for creating movies and TV shows are within reason. That Quon was able to get this far is an achievement anyone could be proud of.

But a lot is riding on this installment of the Independent Lens. People need to watch it and let PBS know that more episodes are wanted. It needs to become a series, not just a one-time episode. If you watch it and like it, you can let your voice be heard by visiting www.pbs.org/stationfinder/index.html and sending an appropriate e-mail.

As I said, there'll be more with the MLD's creative duo next time, but seriously, watch the show. I think you'll like it.

In the meantime, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and all that stuff.

Until next time, keep your eyes and ears open.

(George Toshio Johnston has written this column since 1992 and can be reached at gjohnston@rafu.com. The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect policies of this newspaper or any organization or business. Copyright © 2006 by George T. Johnston. All rights reserved.)