ABC's Fresh Off the Boat, just wrapped up a successful freshman season. Showrunner Nahnatchka Khan tells us about creating the first sitcom about an Asian American family in more than two decades, and the pressures that came along with knowing the show would be so closely watched.
The last time an Asian-American family starred in a sitcom was Margaret Cho's All American Girl in 1994, which bombed in ratings and reviews.
Fresh Off the Boat, based on a memoir by celebrity chef Eddie Huang, has fared better. But Khan has had to deal with Huang's vocal criticism that the show does not represent his own version of his life.
Kahn, whose previous show, Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, ran on ABC for two seasons, recently sat down with Michael Schneider and Joe Adalian of KCRW's podcast, The Spin-off. She talked about her relationship with Huang and how she dealt with the news that her show would run on Tuesday nights, which has traditionally not been a strong night for comedies on ABC.
Kahn shares her hopes for the future of Fresh Off the Boat and recalls earning her TV chops on Pepper Ann and then as one of only two female writers on Seth McFarland's American Dad.