Asian Americans in Film and Television: 2020 Year in Review
By: Advancing Justice
Tags: Film Reviews, Asian American, Media Representation, Representation

Here’s what was new, what we got more of, and what we said goodbye to in 2020. (Photo Credit: Comedy Central, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes)

By Anika Raju

This year, we saw a significant amount of Asian American representation in film and television despite limitations in production placed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The following is a list of television shows and films released in 2020 which feature Asian Americans in prominent roles. We hope increased representation and more diverse stories become normalized in 2021 and the years to come.

New in 2020

1. All My Life

This romantic drama film features Jessica Rothe and Harry Shum Jr. as real-life couple Jennifer Carter and Solomon Chau. Happily engaged, the couple’s world is shaken when they learn that Solomon has liver cancer. Racing against the clock, Jennifer and Solomon live out their dream wedding with the help of their friends and family.

2. Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens

Created by Awkwafina and Teresa Hsiao, this comedy television series follows Nora (Awkwafina) as she attempts to navigate her twenties while living with her father and her grandmother. The fictional series is inspired by Awkwafina’s real-life experience of being raised by her father and grandmother in Queens.

3. The Baby-Sitters Club

The 2020 television adaptation of Ann M. Martin’s children’s book series The Baby-Sitters Club released on Netflix over the summer. The show follows five middle schoolers who start a babysitting business. Despite being written in the ’80s and ’90s, the series is notable for having a Japanese American main character named Claudia Kishi, who is played by Momona Tamada in this television adaptation.

4. The Half of It

Netflix teen film The Half of It follows Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) through her senior year of high school as she navigates her identity as a Chinese American immigrant and as an LGBTQ+ individual. Written and directed by Alice Wu, a queer, Asian American woman, the film is groundbreaking for its representation both in front of and behind the camera.

Check out Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC’s blog post on The Half of It as a part of its “Milestones and Missed Cues” blog series.

5. The House of Ho

This reality television series centers around the Ho Family — a wealthy Vietnamese family in Houston, Texas. The show stands out in the reality television space for its focus on an Asian American family.

6. Kal Penn Approves This Message

To encourage young people to become civically engaged, Kal Penn released this six-episode miniseries ahead of the 2020 general election. Having worked both in film and television and in the Obama White House, Penn brings a unique perspective to the show, which he supplements by featuring special guests like Hillary Clinton, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and Dolores Huerta.

7. Minari

Starring Steven Yeun, Han Ye-Ri, Alan Kim, Noel Cho, and Youn Yuh-jung, this drama film follows a Korean American family that moves from California to a farm in Arkansas in the 1980s to achieve their interpretation of the American Dream. When the grandmother comes to live with them, the dynamics of the family change and the story explores what it means to be a family.

8. Never Have I Ever

Created by Indian American powerhouse Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, Never Have I Ever is the first coming-of-age television show in the United States to feature a South Asian lead. The story follows 15-year-old Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) as she navigates high school following the death of her father. The show addresses themes like grief, identity, and belonging.

9. Over the Moon

Over the Moon is one of Netflix’s latest children’s animated films. The story borrows from Chinese mythology and follows a girl named Fei Fei (Cathy Ang) as she attempts to prove that the Moon Goddess Chang’e is real. Through her adventures on the moon, Fei Fei learns how to grapple with the death of her mother as well as accept change and new beginnings.

Check out Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC’s blog post on Over the Moon as a part of its “Milestones and Missed Cues” blog series.

10. Tigertail

Written and directed by Alan Yang, Tigertail tells the story of a Taiwanese man named Pin-Jui (Tzi Ma) who reflects on his childhood and his journey to America while attempting to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Christine Ko). The film captures the struggles of immigrants and their attempts to achieve the American Dream.