Randall Park
Constance Wu
Hudson Yang
Forrest Wheeler
Ian Chen
Chelsey Crisp

Created by:
Nahnatchka Khan

2015-
Comedy
ABC
TV-PG

“Fresh off the Boat” is “Everybody Hates Chris: Chinese-Style” with a look that’s typical of an ABC sitcom. Some have called it a mix of “The Goldbergs” and “black-ish.” Based on the book of the same name by chef Eddie Huang, “Fresh off the Boat” features a voice-over by Huang, much like “Everybody Hates Chris” features a voice-over by Chris Rock. Huang’s voice-over isn’t as punchy or pervasive, though.

Young Eddie and his family move to Orlando at the beginning of the first episode. (I’ve watched the first two episodes.) The father, a nice man, opened a restaurant there six months ago. The restaurant is a lot like a fictional chain restaurant in the area in the same way that McDowell’s is a lot like McDonald’s in “Coming to America.” The mother, according to Huang’s voice-over, is a tiger mom before they had that name. (She’s just as tough as Chris’s mother.) Young Eddie has two brothers, one of whom easily makes friends, including a girlfriend, at his new school (much like Chris’s younger brother). Unlike Chris’s youngest sibling, Eddie’s youngest sibling is a boy, not a girl. That, along with the difference in the personalities of the fathers and the occasional appearance of Eddie’s grandmother, is a rare difference between the shows. Oh, and there’s the difference in race, as well. That doesn’t matter as much as it should, though. Furthermore, Eddie loves hip-hop, because, as an outcast, he identifies with its messages. So, we get a lot of ’90s hip-hop as this show’s soundtrack.

I just wish that “Fresh off the Boat” were funnier. Thankfully, there’s no laugh track, but this show’s missing something else that it desperately needs: a distinct point of view. “Black-ish” (another new show on ABC) may not always work, but it has occasional moments that make it seem different. It doesn’t seem like a complete copycat. While not bad, this show needs to find material that’s either less stereotypical or less familiar; it needs to be true to itself, instead of trying to please a broad audience. It needs more of Huang’s personality. If it had that, its well-chosen cast would be able to soar. But this is network television, after all. And it’s better than many other sitcoms out there, which, I know, isn’t saying much. Another plus is the way they address the “ch” word (said by the lone black kid). The meeting between the parents and the principal to address that incident is priceless.

Verdict: OK to Somewhat Good

About: (Source: freshboat)

It’s the ’90s and 12 year old, hip-hop loving Eddie (Hudson Yang) just moved to suburban Orlando from DC’s Chinatown with his parents (Randall Park and Constance Wu). It’s culture shock for his immigrant family in this comedy about pursuing the American Dream. Fresh Off the Boat is based on Chef Eddie Huang’s memoir Fresh Off the Boat.

Fresh Off the Boat stars Randall Park as Louis, Constance Wu as Jessica, Hudson Yang as Eddie, Forrest Wheeler as Emery and Ian Chen as Evan.