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Following a year dominated by the success stories of Empire, Jane the Virgin and Fresh Off the Boat, the trend in TV is diversity. This certainly holds true for the headliner of ABC’s Fall TV Preview at Paleyfest, Dr. Ken. The traditional, multi-camera sitcom will feature the first Korean-American family on network TV in twenty years.
The series allows star Ken Jeong to come full circle. The Community star is a licensed doctor who quit practicing medicine to pursue a career in Hollywood after securing a role in Knocked Up. With Dr. Ken, Jeong gets to blend everything together: medicine, comedy and fatherhood, with a crash course on writing and producing.
The result is a show that is a “simple yet original family comedy based on my life with a lot of heart,” Ken Jeong said. “It was a deliberate choice. I wanted to perform in front of a live audience. I started in stand up, so it’s great to feed off a crowd. I wanted that element in there and wanted to do something different from Community and Hangover.”
Jeong doesn’t envision Dr. Ken staying simple forever, however. “Starting with something simple allows room for lots more possibilities,” Jeong said. And indeed, the show is already growing up. “It’s becoming about this cast of characters and not the patient [of the week],” said Jeong. “We don’t need that gimmick. We’re already evolving much faster than I expected.”
“The episodes are written individually. Audiences could be entering at any point along the way. We want to make episodes self-contained and get the audience on board. Then we may arc things out,” said Executive Producer and Showrunner Mike Sikowitz.
The show is already a well-oiled machine, notably shooting an entire episode in just two and a half hours. “Even if it’s not good, it’s efficient,” said star Dave Foley. “We blow our lines and then we go home,” Jeong said. “We say to the network, do you want it done right or done fast?” said Sikowitz.
Despite the welcome brevity, the importance of this show for the Asian-American community was not lost on any of the cast and crew this afternoon.
After Margaret Cho’s All-American Girl got cancelled, it took twenty years for another Asian-American show to appear on network TV with ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat. Now Dr. Ken is the second Asian-American TV show in six months, a development that Jeong credits to the support of ABC and Sony, applauding the diversity of their programming.
“If it weren’t for Fresh Off the Boat, we wouldn’t be here,” said Jeong. “Its success galvanized the Asian-American community.” Jeong also credits TBS’ Sullivan & Son, as well as trailblazing comedian Margaret Cho, who will be guest starring on the show as Ken’s sister. “Now we can have an Asian American show featuring a second-generation family,” said Jeong.
“There are more shows to reflect society. We all have stories to tell,” said star Suzy Nakumura.
“Asian-American children will see themselves on TV and that’s important,” said star Tisha Campbell Martin.
And not just any children: they get to see Krista Marie Yu and Trophy Wife star/Paleyfest veteran Albert Tsai. The entire panel was a Tsai love fest (as all panels should be). “Albert Tsai is a national treasure,” said Jeong, who wrote the role of Dave for the fedora crushing Tsai.
Thankfully, despite being a show featuring an Asian-American family, it’s not solely about that.
Dr. Ken won’t rely on stereotypes or ‘Asian jokes’ for laughter. “There will be no goddamn dog joke. That is not how we talk,” said Jeong. “This show deserves a shot. I promise we will not let you down.”
Doctor’s orders.
Dr. Ken premieres Friday October 2 at 8:30/7:30c on ABC. Watch Yahoo Screen’s livestream of the event here.
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