Goodbye, ‘Fresh Off the Boat’
It’s the end of an era.
ABC’s beloved comedy, “Fresh Off the Boat,” is coming to an end. The show will end February 21 with an hour-long finale to season six — which is currently airing.
The show’s exit leaves a gaping hole in network television.
It was one of the only shows prominently featuring an Asian-American family, and was heralded during its debut in 2015 for being one of the first to bring a long under-represented group to Hollywood’s small screen.
“We couldn’t be prouder of this game-changing show and the impact it has had on our cultural landscape,” said Karey Burke, president of ABC Entertainment. “The success of ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ has helped pave the way for inclusion throughout the industry. Nahnatchka Khan and her brilliant creative team have created an unforgettable series with an Asian-American family front and center, something that hadn’t been done in two decades.”
The last big network show to feature an Asian-American family was Margaret Cho’s “All-American Girl,” which aired in 1994 and was canceled after a single season.
“Fresh Off the Boat” is set in the 1990s, and follows the experiences of a young boy and his family right after they move to suburban Orlando. It’s based off a memoir by the same name, written by Eddie Huang.
But the announcement of the show’s ending might not be bad news for everyone.
In May, the network announced that the show would be returning for a sixth season and Constance Wu, who plays the show’s matriarch Jessica Huang, wasn’t pleased.
“So upset right now that I’m literally crying. Ugh,” she said in a tweet, followed by expletives. When the show’s Instagram page posted the announcement, she commented “Dislike.”
She later clarified her comments in a statement on Twitter, saying that she loves the show, but its renewal meant she had to give up other projects. The actress has experienced success outside of the show, having starred in recent blockbusters like “Crazy Rich Asians” in 2018 and this year’s “Hustlers.”
