Oooh – the dvd for All-American Girl is coming out in January. I just did the commentary track for it, and it was fun to watch, mostly because I had almost no memory of any of the episodes. I think I might have blocked it out or something.
It actually wasn’t bad at all. The problem with the show was that in the hysteria of this being the first Asian American family on screen, the writing was stuck in an identity crisis. If we are Asians, then are we funny? Are we racy funny or homey funny? Can we do this? Can we do that? Also, there seems to be a cast of thousands. I think it was because the idea of Asians on television was so outlandish that the executives thought to soften the blow by adding kids, parents, older siblings, twentysomething friends, cute white boys, and NO GAYS!!! Can you imagine???!!!
There were lots of people every week. I think I don’t remember a lot of it because I was not really there for any of it. Although it is ostensibly my show, my voice isn’t on it at all, which is a shame. I didn’t really have a voice then though, so my identity and race served as a makeshift ‘opinion.’ I think that is why there hasn’t been another attempt at an Asian sitcom, because the confusing conundrum of race as voice, of ethnicity as identity, prevails. I don’t watch shows because the characters are white or black. I watch for reasons that don’t factor in race. I know that sometimes people like to think that racism is over, but it isn’t. It is just far subtler and harder to identify.
Still, watching All-American Girl is pretty amazing, thinking of all the pressure we were under, and having no real vision of what it should be. It is like a pupu platter of jokes. One of everything, to please the uninitiated palate, an abrupt tutorial in Asian American life as seen by a bunch of innocent bystanders. B.D. Wong is wonderful in every scene, and Amy Hill is priceless. There are lots of funny guest stars like Jack Black, David Cross, Quentin Tarantino, and that hot prison guard from Oz. I wear the shortest skirts you can imagine. My thighs are burning now because I am talking about them.
All in all, I am coming to see that the experience was worth it, because I did get a startling education in race in Hollywood, and why things don’t work. I hope all the people who worked on the show get to see the dvd, and can look back and enjoy all the work we put into it. I think that even though so much of it was misguided, we managed to do a pretty good job. I also hope that we win a whole new generation of fans. Because girl, we tried.
can’t wait!