All-American Girl (TV series)

All-American Girl
DVD cover
GenreSitcom
Created byGary Jacobs
Starring
ComposerGeorge Englund Jr.
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes19
Production
Executive producers
ProducerBruce Johnson
CinematographyDaniel Flannery
EditorJimmy B. Frazier
Production companies
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 14, 1994 (1994-09-14) –
March 15, 1995 (1995-03-15)
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All-American Girl is an American television sitcom starring Margaret Cho. The series aired on ABC from September 14, 1994, to March 15, 1995.[1] It was loosely based on Cho's own experiences growing up in a Korean American family in San Francisco. Cho starred as Margaret Kim, the rebellious daughter of Korean emigrants and bookstore owners, whose American attitude often comes into conflict with her more traditional parents (Jodi Long and Clyde Kusatsu).[2] Among her co-stars were BD Wong as Margaret's brother, and Amy Hill as her eccentric grandmother.[3][4]

All-American Girl was created by ABC to capitalize on the trend of female comediennes headlining their own sitcoms. Cho was included in a Wednesday night lineup that included other women in lead roles—Brett Butler (Grace Under Fire), Ellen DeGeneres (Ellen), and most successfully, Roseanne Barr (Roseanne).[1][5]

The series received criticism for its depiction of Korean Americans and for stereotyping characters.[4][6][7][8] ABC attempted to counter low ratings by retooling the show into an ensemble sitcom about Margaret and her white friends, but the revamping was unsuccessful and the series was cancelled after one season.[7][9][10]

  1. ^ a b Jung, E. Alex (November 9, 2014). "All-American Girl at 20: The Evolution of Asian Americans on TV". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  2. ^ Higgins, Bill (February 5, 2015). "Throwback Thursday: Margaret Cho Was First to Spotlight an Asian-American Family on TV". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  3. ^ Tucker, Ken (October 7, 1994). "TV Show Review: 'All-American Girl'". EW.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Chung, Philip W. (December 5, 1994). "All-American Girl': Is It Good or Bad Television? A Positive Look at the Sitcom". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
  5. ^ Woo, Michelle (September 15, 2014). "20 Years Later, Margaret Cho Looks Back on 'All-American Girl'". KoreAm. Archived from the original on September 20, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  6. ^ Du Brow, Rick (September 4, 1994). "COVER STORY : True Tales of TV Trauma: 3 Comics Chase Roseanne-dom : Margaret Cho : She's the freshman. But the 25-year-old Korean American has another role to play besides the 'All-American Girl.' Cho is hoping to be a groundbreaker". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
  7. ^ a b Matsumoto, Jon (October 25, 1996). "Skewer Days : In the Study of Stereotypes, Margaret Cho Is a Sharp Student". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
  8. ^ Braxton, Greg (September 14, 1994). "It's All in the (Ground-Breaking) Family : Television: As a sitcom centered on Asian Americans, 'All-American Girl' is being monitored by advocacy groups concerned about racial stereotypes. Welcome to the pressure cooker". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
  9. ^ Matsumoto, Jon (October 22, 1996). "She Takes Failure Standing Up". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
  10. ^ Kang, K. Connie (March 11, 1995). "'Girl' Undergoes Major Changes Amid Criticism". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 14, 2011.