The Brainy Bunch, Anyone?
By wchung | 22 Feb, 2025

The Brady Bunch is fine for some, but Asian American kids may need a different kind of sitcom.

Every generation has its family sitcoms. First it was “Leave it to Beaver”, then “The Brady Bunch”. Later came “The Cosby Show”, which kicked off the split-personality of 90’s sitcoms that gave you “Home Improvement” and “Full House” on one end and “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” and “Family Matters” on the other.

Growing up, I would sit on the couch every week, eyes glued to the screen, endlessly entertained, devouring every groomed punch line and reflexive echoes of laughter that followed. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was also subconsciously extrapolating details of the culture I had been born into, details that had me looking in the mirror and seeing a wrinkly little monosyllabic-speaking creature named ET.

This wouldn’t have happened if there had been a sitcom where the dad’s an engineer and the mom’s a research scientist. Where instead of a troublesome pet dog, there’s a tank of oriental, feather-tailed goldfish that do nothing but blow bubbles all day, because Asian parents don’t like messes. Where there’s no turkey on Thanksgiving and you don’t give flowers on Mother’s Day, because flowers create bugs, eventually die and are therefore both illogical and uneconomical. And what right do you have squandering money on flowers anyway when you can invest that change into the next TI 89 for Calculus BC?

This family also has only two kids, a boy and a girl, because six would be impractical. They will both become doctors. Or try to. Before that, however, the boy will have to endure countless years of homework and piano lessons. On the bright side, he’ll get to enjoy Dragonball Z, Mario, Final Fantasy VII and eventually World of Warcraft once he’s in his respective UC or Ivy. The girl, too, will have to devote most of her time to studying and piano, but she will occasionally indulge herself with Sailor Moon, Pokemon, various boybands and maybe Leehom before she gives it all up to study Biochemistry in her UC or Ivy. Together, the parents, the two kids and the docile goldfish would be named “The Brainy Bunch.”

Or some variation of that.

The only show I’ve seen that even comes close to delivering a take on Asian-American families is the critically-acclaimed WB show “Gilmore Girls,” which unearthed the hilarity behind a Korean mother-daughter relationship. The mother, appropriately named Mrs. Kim, is a straight-laced, no-nonsense tyrant who sees the world through bible-tinted glasses and treats her daughter Lane accordingly. Lane, on the other hand, is a free-spirited full-fledged American with a religious devotion to Yoko Ono and everything non-Korean. The strained, conflicting nature of their relationship is underscored by the open, democratic partnership of the title characters Rory and Lorelai Gilmore.

Although “Gilmore Girls” struck comedic gold with the brilliant characterization of Mrs. Kim and Lane, the development of this mother-daughter duo often fell stagnant. But that’s no fault of the writers or producers. The Kim characters did what they came to do – to provide a comedic backdrop to the undulating drama of the Gilmores. Given the limited length of a TV season and the wide spectrum of characters, it would be impossible to expect proper treatment of a complete subculture through the lives of two supporting characters.

The only way is through an Asian American-based TV show.

With the multitude of Caucasian and African-American sitcoms as well as the recent emergence of “Ugly Betty” and “The George Lopez Show”, shouldn’t we get a shot as well? Sure, we’ve made gentle strides in cinema with the recent “Ping Pong Playa” and the classic let’s-throw-ourselves-into-an-oven masterpiece “The Joy Luck Club,” but movies don’t visit a kid’s living room every Monday, movies don’t uncover the eccentricities of everyday life or find humor in the mundane. Granted, they do provide relatable moments and familiar dialogue that kids can nod their head to, but these fleeting glimpses impart minimal sustenance for adolescent identities. At the end of the day, movies are plot-driven vehicles that wield every line and gesture toward a calculated buildup to some theatrical climax, followed by some savory resolution. This formula, while entertaining, bears no resemblance to the daily routine of a 13-year-old Asian kid. A TV show, on the other hand, is a step towards the right direction. Of course since my dreams of being the next Aaron Spelling are in full retirement, I can only aimlessly rant about the possibilities. But if you are an aspiring TV writer/producer/anything, please note that there’s no patent on “The Brainy Bunch.”