Fresh Off the Boat

     It took me a hit-and-miss watching of the first season, but I now officially am a fan of ABC's Fresh Off the Boat. Season 1 began in February and a full season 2 kicked off in September. The family sitcom is based off Eddie Huang memoir of the same name, about growing up in Orlando in the 1990's with traditional Chinese parents. Eddie is a middle schooler who loves gangsta rap and his mom's best friend, Honey. Eddie's two adorable younger brothers Emery and Evan are very wise, young souls and give sage advice beyond their years. Mom Jessica (Constance Wu) is cheap, wants the kids to work hard, and ends up making people's lives more difficult. Completing the family are grandma Huang, who only speaks Mandarin and doesn't get along well with mom, and father Louis (Randall Park), a true believer of the American Dream.

     The family moved to Orlando from a tight-knit Chinese community in Washington, D.C. for Louis to open an all-American steakhouse, Cattleman's Ranch. His oddball staff mean well, but often get the family into more financial woes during the first season. The restaurant faces many struggles as they try to draw anyone in, and get them to order something besides water and soda. As a special not, The League's Paul Scheer plays waiter Mitch. The show's 90's nostalgia is one of the reason I think I connect to it. When Eddie's school throws a Fall Ball, his dad insists on teaching him and his boys to how dance. The boys think they're taking a girl to the dance, only to find out the girls had chosen someone else in the group as their date (which led to a tense roller rink group date). When Eddie is broken up with said girlfriend, he plays BoyzIIMen's End of the Road on repeat until the whole family sings the song. Jessica competes with her sister for who mom loves more, including a mad run to a store on Thanksgiving eve.

     The show has also had notable guest appearances by NBA players and singers of the time including  Scotty Pippen, DMX and Shaq as the proprietor of Shaquille O'Neal Motors. Jessica keeps demanding to speak to the top executive at the car dealership, finally begin shown into the office of Shaq himself. In tonight's episode, The Real Santa, Jessica tells the boys that Asian Santa is the real Santa and ends up dressing up in a suit to encourage her sons to study hard and get into good schools. I can't wait to see what 2016 has in store. Maybe an episode about Chinese New Year?