菜鸟2015

The idea of this show is that it challenges the bottom line of the perception to Asian American – like its title or the author of original book. If a black man or a white man made this show, he is certainly going to be getting beaten up and murdered. That's the beauty of such production – it is on the bottom line of extreme offensiveness – which makes it politically correct when the show also makes fun of white and black American. The creative freedom therefore allows the show to tap into many race issues people don't generally talk about because they are afraid of backlashes. For example, the black kid was bullying and showing disrespect to the newly arrived Chinese Asian kids. This is quite common across the nation, but people don't normally want to put it on the spotlight because of the oppression black American post on other minorities – while most white American are ashamed of racism, many black American find it enjoyable to practice racism against other minorities – and they deny their behaviors as racism, and would even claim the critics as racists. To certain black supremacists, all non-black races are racist - therefore all non-black races are subjected to oppression posted by black supremacists. This is why so few television programs had been made to depict minority families other than black families in the US. This TV show is an excellent statement to these black supremacists, and a harsh slap on their racist faces.

      不光对国家来说有移民梦，在中国城市快速发展的今天，外来务工人员也存在“移民梦”。这部剧看完有些小小的悲伤，在美国，虽然文化不同，语言不通，他们需要努力争取平等、对抗歧视，但因为美国法制和舆论的作用，当涉及到种族歧视这样敏感的事情时，谁都不愿意被牵扯进这样的漩涡，所以他们还可以在一些小事情上抖抖机灵，让事情向有利于自己的这方面发展。
       但在国内，北漂、海漂等，他们遇到的生活困难可能远不止此能解决的，甚至有时候无法解决，尽管语言相同，文化一脉，但是深深地隔离和歧视却无法诉说。
       胡言乱语！如有雷同纯属巧合！

中西文化碰撞、熊孩子视角、90年代怀旧风（第4集听到那个拨号上网的嘟嘟声而会心一笑的应该不只我一个吧），为本片提供了丰富的素材。难得的是梗都很原创新颖不俗套，很大一部分原因是因为编剧Eddie Huang有亲身经历切身感受吧（也确实，靠一大帮“局外人”编剧围坐一起的臆想真的是很容易就陷入那些常见的stereoptype梗里去了）。到此我才真正理解那句美剧常见金句：It's funny cuz it's true.

素材是中西交融式的，展现方式却是美剧主流的——画面和画外音设定让我想起The Middle，三个熊儿子设定让我想起Malcolm in the Middle（特别是小儿子，简直和头2季奶声奶气的小大人Dewey神似）。这也是这部片子不仅是停留在美国华人边缘化的自我欣赏，而是得到美国观众普遍认可（在以家庭式喜剧见长的ABC播出，且收视不错基本锁定第二季）的原因吧。

选角很成功。小主角、妈妈、两个弟弟都是亮点。