Introduction

If everyone sees the world in terms of situations that are presented on television, then poor waitresses could sass customers all day at their job without getting fired, and to return home to a large apartment in Brooklyn with a horse living in the backyard, as seen on 2 Broke Girls. In addition, world renowned scientists could spend most of their time visiting the comic stores, instead of working on world-changing projects, as presented in The Big Bang Theory. Although many viewers understand that these plotlines are constructed to emphasize the dramatic effects within televisions, yet when Asian Americans are depicted in a negative and stereotypical manner, many audiences perceive them as entertaining, humorous, and most importantly, plausible. Within the United States, there is a lack of positive Asian American role models, which remains for the most part unfulfilled by the U.S. mainstream media. In reflection of these depictions, although very few, it is evident that this nation’s sitcom has had a negative portrayal of the Asian American community in general.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Asian “was the nation’s fastest-growing race or ethnic group in 2012.” In addition, the Screen Actors Guild casting data reports that in 2008, Asian Pacific Island actors portrayed only 3.8% of all television and theatrical roles. The Office of Management and Budget, "Asian" is defined as "a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the India subcontinent including Cambodia, China, India, and Vietnam" (Office of Management and Budget, 1997). Only a selected few Asian Pacific Islanders are consider to be successful in Hollywood, including John Cho (Harold and Kumar), Lucy Liu (Elementary), Maggie Q (Nikkita), Kunal Nayyar (Big Bang Theory), Bruno Mars, Steven Yuen (The Walking Dead), and Daniel Dae Kim (Lost). This is a clear indicator that Asian Americans are underrepresented in the media as opposed to other ethnic groups. Since there are so few Asian American characters presented in sitcoms, my primary focus will be on Korean and Indians roles within the television programs. However, this is not to neglect that some of the stereotypical images applies to other groups of Asian Americans as well.

Through four contemporary television shows, All-American Girl (1994), The Big Bang Theory (2007), The Mindy Project (2012), and 2 Broke Girls (2011), I will explore and determine how these distasteful portrayals and qualities continue to paint caricatures of Asian Americans in stereotypical manners. These shows were selected because in one way or another, each of them embodies the stereotypical images in which Asian Americans are depicted as onscreen over the course of the history of situation comedies. By examining these sitcoms, which have aired over a span of two decades, it can be suggested that there is a little progression within many of the Asian American characters as their treatment and portrayals of the characters are very generic.