Starting this fall, ABC is implementing a lineup that completely trumps every other network's diversity efforts.
The lineup features several shows centered on the lives of minorities in present-day America.
As the network that boasts the mega hit “Modern Family,” ABC is no stranger to showcasing a different approach to the traditional family view usually portrayed on TV. Its new fall comedies, “Cristela,” “Fresh Off the Boat” and “Black-ish,” do not disappoint.
Cristela, a comedy about a Mexican-American woman trying to balance her traditional home values with her dreams of being a lawyer, feels like a breath of fresh air for the Hispanic community. Standup comedian Cristela Alonzo writes, executive produces and stars in the show, which displays a view of society previously undeveloped on the silver screen: the Hispanic woman. As a Hispanic woman myself, I could not be more excited to watch the titular Cristela’s story develop.
Along the same lines comes “Fresh Off the Boat,” a story set in the ‘90s that follows an Asian-American family’s move from Chinatown in Washington D.C. to Orlando, Fla. Narrated in flashback form by the family’s young child, Eddie, the humor comes from the family attempting to assimilate into suburban life and embracing the American Dream by opening a restaurant. Based on Eddie Huang’s memoir by the same name, the show strives to portray a more accurate view of Asian-Americans.
Meanwhile, the show “Black-ish” features an African-American family living in a predominately white neighborhood and explores what happens when a family becomes too assimilated. Anthony Anderson leads and Lawrence Fishburne executive produces and guest stars in Black-ish as it deals with the fear of losing one’s roots in a society with a different culture and the struggles that come from trying to regain them.
It is exciting to see a network place such importance in diversity. With its lineup jam-packed with new shows, it will be interesting to see which new comedies survive through the fall season and which ones ABC decides to cancel. Here’s to hoping “Cristela,” “Fresh Off the Boat” and “Black-ish” all make it; diversity deserves a prominent place in TV, and these shows fit the role perfectly.
