OPINION
Page 6 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
December 18, 2017
Volume 27 Number 24
December 18, 2017
ISSN: 1094-9453
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MY TURN
n Dmae Roberts
Holiday viewing
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A
h, the holidays. It’s a time when families get
together for food, festivities, and hopefully
not to hash out the current volatile state of
politics. For many people who live on a tight budget,
staying closer to home, like my small family unit, is
this year’s plan. With parents gone and many of my
husband’s extended family far away in distance or
values, a while ago we decided to keep it small, with
just my brother, who lives close.
Richard, my husband, loves to cook, so he takes
care of the food, including our traditional artichoke
Christmas lasagna. I asked him not to make figgy
pudding this year because I’m determined to keep
off the 25 pounds I lost since summer while also
striving to lose another 25 (despite holiday tempta-
tions).
My usual task is to find the perfect movie the
three of us can watch together. My brother and I
enjoy sci-fi or animated movies; Richard is pretty
easygoing as long as it’s fairly intelligent. At
Thanksgiving we finally watched Sing, an
animated film featuring animals in a singing
competition. The story was told very well and had
such compelling characters that I nearly forgot I
wasn’t watching real animals. I finally decided on
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 since the sequel is
supposed to be just as fun and adventurous as the
first film. Both versions feature diverse casts and
are available on Netflix. My brother and I are also
planning to watch the BBC America broadcast of
the “Doctor Who” Christmas special, which is
rumored to unveil the new female doctor. About
time!
Making sure there is diversity in the movies and
television shows I watch is important to me. It can
be difficult to navigate, especially when looking for
more family-friendly viewing. I’ve given up on the
romantic Hallmark movies because they rarely
feature people of color. And when they do, the
character is usually just a sidekick friend or
co-worker, never the romantic interest.
For those who have On Demand programming,
my binge-watching family-friendly recommenda-
tions for shows currently airing on Fox include “The
Orville” (a Star Trek-type spoof that’s surprisingly
good, though it should have included an Asian
American or Pacific Islander cast member) and
“The Gifted” (about a family with super-powered
kids who hide out with diverse people who also have
powers).
Also on my list of suggestions are shows that air
on The CW and have been around for a while. These
include one that focuses on comedic adventures,
“Jane the Virgin” (a Latinx comedic telenovela), as
well as some with DC Comics superheroes, such as
“The Flash,” “Arrow,” “Supergirl,” and “Legends of
Tomorrow.”
Shows with more serious tones for families with
teens include “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” (which has
two lead female heroes who are Asian American!)
and “Once Upon a Time” (a diverse fairytale series),
both airing on ABC. Many of the past seasons of
these television shows are available on Netflix,
which also carries movies such as Okja, an
endearing activist story about a Korean girl who
loves a genetically created giant, and Moana, a
story based on Polynesian mythology from Disney
that was remarkably well done.
And honestly, if you haven’t been watching
“Fresh Off the Boat,” the only Asian-American
family sitcom nowadays, what’s been keeping you?
It has great actors and it’s worth watching past
episodes on the ABC website or app.
Two other diverse sitcoms that air on NBC
include “The Good Place” (past seasons are on
Netflix), a show about multicultural misfits stuck in
what they believe is a weird heaven, and
“Superstore,” which has featured three Asian-
American leads and focuses on people of all colors
who work at a big-box store and fight boredom
through interactions with one another as well as
bad work ethics. Sounds like any job, right?
The fourth season of “The Librarians” just began
and could brighten family time during the holidays.
Filmed in the Portland area, the comedic and
sometimes slapstick show about librarians who
track down magical objects for their fantastical
library features an Asian lead actor. It’s also fun to
spot numerous local actors in the show. “The
Librarians” airs Wednesdays on TNT. Reruns and
past seasons are available on Hulu. (If you are not
already a streaming member, try out a free trial.)
Using Amazon Prime, 11 seasons of the new
“Doctor Who” can be streamed. I recommend sea-
sons 3 and 10, both of which feature a black compan-
ion for the doctor, but all the seasons of the re-
vamped show are a great deal of fun and adventure.
As you might be able to tell, I seldom actually go
out to the movies. But I do attend stage theatre
productions every week in Portland because theatre
here is so good. In fact, I recommend adults and
older teens check out Twist Your Dickens, which
runs through December 31 at Portland Center
Stage. Created by The Second City comedy troupe in
Chicago, the play features local actors spoofing
shows such as A Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonder-
ful Life, as well as bits of political and raunchy
Continued on page 16
Opinions expressed in this newspaper are those of the authors and not necessarily those of this publication.