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American television series with Asian leads

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American television series with Asian leads/co-leads means a scripted American television series that features an actor of Asian ancestry as the series' leading actor portraying the series' protagonist or a main character. One of the earliest examples dates back to 1951 with Anna May Wong, a classic Hollywood-era movie star, with her TV show The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong.[1] Typically, the characters portrayed are Asian American, although the actor or actress may sometimes be Canadian, British, or Australian.

List of television series

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Year Title Lead Notes
1951 The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong Protagonist portrayed by Anna May Wong
1966–69 Star Trek Ensemble cast with George Takei
1966–67 The Green Hornet Ensemble cast with Bruce Lee
1968–80 Hawaii Five-O Ensemble cast with Kam Fong, Gilbert Lani Kauhi
1969–72 The Courtship of Eddie's Father Main character portrayed by Miyoshi Umeki
1972–75 Kung Fu Co-leading characters portrayed by Philip Ahn and Keye Luke
1972 The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan Protagonist portrayed by Keye Luke
1974–84 Happy Days Ensemble cast with Pat Morita
1975–82 Barney Miller Ensemble cast with Jack Soo
1976 Mr. T and Tina Protagonist portrayed by Pat Morita [2][3]
1976–83 Quincy, M.E. Ensemble cast with Robert Ito
1982–83 Bring 'Em Back Alive Ensemble cast with Clyde Kusatsu
1986–87 Sidekicks Protagonist portrayed Ernie Reyes Jr.
1986–87 Gung Ho Protagonist portrayed by Gedde Watanabe
1987–88 Ohara Protagonist portrayed by Pat Morita
1987–91 21 Jump Street Ensemble cast with Dustin Nguyen
1989–93 Saved by the Bell Protagonist portrayed by Mark-Paul Gosselaar
1989–90 Island Son Ensemble cast with Clyde Kusatsu
1993 Space Rangers Ensemble cast with Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
1993–95 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Ensemble co-lead played by Thuy Trang
1993–97 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Protagonist played by Dean Cain
1994–95 All American Girl Protagonist portrayed by Margaret Cho [4][5][6]
1994–2009 ER Ensemble co-leads played by Ming-Na Wen and Parminder Nagra
1995 Vanishing Son Protagonist portrayed by Russell Wong
1995–2001 Star Trek: Voyager Ensemble co-lead played by Garrett Wang
1995–97 The Single Guy Ensemble cast with Ming-Na Wen
1995–96 Space: Above and Beyond Ensemble cast with Joel de la Fuente
1996–99 The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo Protagonist portrayed by Irene Ng
1996–2001 Nash Bridges Ensemble cast with Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and Kelly Hu
1996–97 The Burning Zone Ensemble co-lead played by Tamlyn Tomita
1998–2000 Martial Law Protagonist portrayed by Sammo Hung [7]
1998–2002 V.I.P. Ensemble cast with Dustin Nguyen
1998–99 Mortal Kombat: Conquest Protagonist portrayed by Paolo Montalban
1999 Crusade Ensemble cast with Daniel Dae Kim
1999–2002 Relic Hunter Protagonist portrayed by Tia Carrere
1999–present Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Ensemble cast with BD Wong
2000–05 Jackie Chan Adventures Protagonist portrayed by James Sie
2001–05 Star Trek: Enterprise Ensemble co-lead played by Linda Park
2001–02 Off Centre Ensemble cast with John Cho
2002–08 Codename: Kids Next Door Ensemble cast with Lauren Tom
2003 Black Sash Protagonist portrayed by Russell Wong
2003–09 My Life as a Teenage Robot Protagonist portrayed by Janice Kawaye
2003–09 Battlestar Galactica Ensemble co-lead played by Grace Park
2004–10 Lost Ensemble co-leads played by Daniel Dae Kim, Yunjin Kim, Naveen Andrews, and Ken Leung
2005–07 American Dragon: Jake Long Protagonist portrayed by Dante Basco [8]
2005–08 Avatar: The Last Airbender Ensemble cast with Dante Basco and Mako
2005–08 The Suite Life of Zack & Cody Ensemble co-lead portrayed by Brenda Song
2005–present Grey's Anatomy Ensemble co-lead played by Sandra Oh
2005–06 The Life and Times of Juniper Lee Ensemble co-lead portrayed by Amy Hill
2005 Inconceivable Protagonist portrayed by Ming-Na Wen
2006 Vanished Ensemble cast with Ming-Na Wen
2006–10 Heroes Ensemble co-leads portrayed by Masi Oka and Sendhil Ramamurthy
2007–19 The Big Bang Theory Ensemble co-lead played by Kunal Nayyar
2007–08 Aliens in America Ensemble co-Lead portrayed by Adhir Kalyan
2008 Cashmere Mafia Ensemble co-lead portrayed by Lucy Liu
2008–09 Lipstick Jungle Ensemble co-lead portrayed by Lindsay Price
2008 Samurai Girl Protagonist portrayed by Jamie Chung
2009–10 Aaron Stone Ensemble co-lead portrayed by Tania Gunadi
2009–15 Parks and Recreation Ensemble cast with Aziz Ansari
2009–15 Glee Ensemble co-leads portrayed by Jenna Ushkowitz, Harry Shum Jr., and Darren Criss
2009–15 Community Ensemble cast with Danny Pudi and Ken Jeong
2009 Eastwick Ensemble co-lead portrayed by Lindsay Price
2009–20 Modern Family co-lead Aubrey Anderson-Emmons
2009–10 FlashForward Ensemble co-lead portrayed by John Cho
2009–11 Stargate Universe Ensemble cast with Ming-Na Wen
2010–17 Pretty Little Liars co-lead Shay Mitchell, Janell Parrish
2010–13 Nikita Protagonist portrayed by Maggie Q [9]
2010–13 Pair of Kings Main role Kelsey Chow
2010–20 Hawaii Five-0 Ensemble cast with Daniel Dae Kim, Grace Park, and Masi Oka
2010–11 Outsourced Majority of cast is Asian
2010–22 The Walking Dead Ensemble cast with Steven Yeun
2010 Marry Me Protagonist portrayed by Lucy Liu
2011–13 Supah Ninjas Protagonist portrayed by Ryan Potter [10]
2011–12 Fairly Legal Protagonist played by Sarah Shahi
2011–15 Falling Skies Ensemble cast with Moon Bloodgood and Peter Shinkoda
2011–15 Jessie Ensemble cast with Karan Brar
2012–14 Sullivan & Son Protagonist portrayed by Steve Byrne
2012–13 Go On Ensemble cast with John Cho
2012–17 The Mindy Project Protagonist portrayed by Mindy Kaling [11]
2012–19 Elementary Protagonist portrayed by Lucy Liu
2012–16 Beauty & the Beast Protagonist portrayed by Kristin Kreuk [12]
2013–14 Twisted Protagonist portrayed by Avan Jogia
2013–15 Hemlock Grove Ensemble cast with Joel de la Fuente
2013–17 Liv and Maddie Ensemble cast with Tenzing Norgay Trainor
2013–20 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Ensemble co-leads portrayed by Chloe Bennet and Ming-Na Wen
2013–14 Once Upon a Time in Wonderland Ensemble cast with Naveen Andrews
2014–20 The 100 Ensemble co-lead portrayed by Bob Morley
2014–19 Silicon Valley Ensemble cast with Kumail Nanjiani, Jimmy O. Yang
2014–17 The Night Shift Ensemble cast with Ken Leung
2014 Selfie Protagonist portrayed by John Cho
2014–18 The Librarians Ensemble cast with John Harlan Kim
2014–16 Marco Polo Majority of cast is Asian
2015–19 The Man in the High Castle Ensemble co-leads played by Joel de la Fuente and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
2015–20 Fresh Off the Boat Ensemble co-leads played by Hudson Yang, Constance Wu, Randall Park, Forrest Wheeler, and Ian Chen [13]
2015–21 Good Witch Protagonist played by Catherine Bell
2015–19 Mr. Robot series regular BD Wong
2015–present Bunk'd Ensemble cast with Karan Brar and Nina Lu
2015–17 Descendants: Wicked World Ensemble cast with Booboo Stewart and Dianne Doan
2015–18 Quantico Protagonist portrayed by Priyanka Chopra [14]
2015–17 Dr. Ken Protagonist portrayed by Ken Jeong
2015–19 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Ensemble co-lead played by Vincent Rodriguez III
2015–21 Master of None Protagonist portrayed by Aziz Ansari [15]
2015–19 Into the Badlands Protagonists portrayed by Daniel Wu and Aramis Knight [16]
2015–present Chicago Med Ensemble co-lead played by Brian Tee
2015–20 The Magicians Ensemble cast with Arjun Gupta and Summer Bishil
2016–19 Bizaardvark Protagonists played by Madison Hu and Olivia Rodrigo
2016 The Night Of Protagonist portrayed by Riz Ahmed
2016–20 The Good Place Ensemble co-leads played by Manny Jacinto and Jameela Jamil
2016–2017 The Exorcist Ensemble cast with John Cho
2016 Brown Nation Majority of the cast [17]
2017 Powerless Ensemble co-leads played by Vanessa Hudgens and Danny Pudi
2017–19 Legion Ensemble cast with Navid Negahban and Lauren Tsai
2017–18 Iron Fist Ensemble co-lead played by Jessica Henwick
2017–20 13 Reasons Why main role Ross Butler
2017–19 Andi Mack Protagonist portrayed by Peyton Elizabeth Lee
2017–22 Claws Ensemble co-lead played by Karrueche Tran
2017 The Defenders Ensemble cast with Jessica Henwick and Élodie Yung
2017–present The Good Doctor Ensemble co-lead played by Will Yun Lee
2017 Inhumans Ensemble cast with Ken Leung
2017–19 Runaways Ensemble co-lead played by Lyrica Okano
2018–present 9-1-1 (TV series) Ensemble co-lead played by Kenneth Choi
2018 The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story Ensemble co-lead played by Darren Criss
2018–23 The Resident (TV series) Ensemble co-lead played by Manish Dayal
2018–21 A.P. Bio Ensemble cast with Mary Sohn and Aparna Brielle
2018 Here and Now Ensemble cast with Raymond Lee
2018 Champions Ensemble co-leads played by Josie Totah and Mouzam Makkar
2018–present The Terror: Infamy Majority of cast is Asian
2018 Alex, Inc. Protagonist portrayed by Tiya Sircar
2018–22 Killing Eve Protagonist portrayed by Sandra Oh
2018–19 Five Points Protagonist portrayed by Hayley Kiyoko
2018–present Yellowstone main role Kelsey Chow
2018 I Feel Bad Protagonist portrayed by Sarayu Blue
2018–20 Coop & Cami Ask the World Ensemble cast with Albert Tsai
2018–23 Titans Ensemble co-lead played by Ryan Potter
2018 Origin Protagonist portrayed by Sen Mitsuji
2019–21 PEN15 Protagonist portrayed by Maya Erskine
2019–23 Miracle Workers Ensemble co-leads played by Geraldine Viswanathan and Karan Soni
2019–present What We Do in the Shadows Protagonist portrayed by Kayvan Novak
2019–23 Warrior Ensemble co-leads played by Andrew Koji, Olivia Cheng, Jason Tobin, Dianne Doan, Joe Taslim and Hoon Lee
2019–22 Ramy Ensemble co-leads played by Mohammed Amer, Hiam Abbass, Dave Merheje, May Calamawy, and Laith Nakli
2019–22 Amphibia Protagonist portrayed by Brenda Song
2019–20 Pandora Ensemble cast with Banita Sandhu and Akshay Kumar
2019 Wu Assassins Majority of cast is Asian
2019 Sunnyside Ensemble co-leads played by Kal Penn, Joel Kim Booster, and Poppy Liu
2019–present Saturday Night Live Featured cast member Bowen Yang
2019–23 High School Musical: The Musical: The Series Protagonist portrayed by Olivia Rodrigo
2020–21 Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist Ensemble co-leads played by Alice Lee and Kapil Talwalkar
2020–present Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens Protagonist portrayed by Awkwafina
2020–23 Star Trek: Picard co-lead played by Isa Briones
2020–present Mythic Quest Ensemble co-leads played by Danny Pudi, Charlotte Nicdao, and Ashly Burch
2020 Devs Protagonist portrayed by Sonoya Mizuno
2020–23 Never Have I Ever Protagonist portrayed by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
2020 Dash & Lily co-lead played by Midori Francis
2020–21 Saved by the Bell Ensemble cast with Josie Totah
2021 WandaVision Major starring character portrayed by Randall Park
2021–present Invincible Protagonist portrayed by Steven Yeun
2021–23 Kung Fu Protagonist portrayed by Olivia Liang
2021–22 Rutherford Falls Ensemble cast with Jesse Leigh
2021–23 Shadow and Bone Protagonists played by Jessie Mei Li and Amita Suman
2021–22 Kevin Can F**k Himself Ensemble cast with Raymond Lee
2021–23 Sex/Life Protagonist portrayed by Sarah Shahi
2021–23 Gossip Girl Ensemble co-lead played by Evan Mock
2021–23 Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. Protagonist portrayed by Peyton Elizabeth Lee
2021 Cowboy Bebop Protagonist portrayed by John Cho
2022–23 Human Resources Ensemble cast with Randall Park
2022 Moon Knight Major starring characters portrayed by May Calamawy, F. Murray Abraham
2022 Ms. Marvel Protagonist portrayed by Iman Vellani
2022–24 Quantum Leap Protagonist portrayed by Raymond Lee
2022 Blockbuster Protagonist portrayed by Randall Park
2023 Beef Protagonists played by Ali Wong and Steven Yeun
2023–present Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai Izaac Wang, Ming-Na Wen, BD Wong, James Hong
2023 American Born Chinese Majority of the cast is Chinese
2023–present My Adventures with Superman Lois Lane is voiced by Alice Lee
2023–present Mech Cadets Majority of voice cast is Asian
2023–present Ahsoka Major starring characters portrayed by Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Eman Esfandi
2023–present One Piece Ensemble co-lead played by Mackenyu and Taz Skylar
2023–present Blue Eye Samurai Protagonist portrayed by Maya Erskine
2024 Mr. & Mrs. Smith Ensemble co-lead played by Maya Erskine
2024–present Avatar: The Last Airbender Protagonist portrayed by Gordon Cormier
2024 Shōgun Majority of the cast is Japanese

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Film reveals real-life struggles of an onscreen 'Dragon Lady' Archived 2011-07-20 at the Wayback Machine."
  2. ^ "Pat Morita - Mr. T and Tina cast". Sitcoms Online. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  3. ^ "Mr. T and Tina". The New York Times.
  4. ^ 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. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
  5. ^ 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. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
  6. ^ ...Open. "Watch Full Episodes Online of Pioneers of Television on PBS | Margaret Cho on "All-American Girl"". Video.pbs.org. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  7. ^ McDonald, William (1998-09-26). "Kung Fu Show Adds Star, Hoping For a Hit". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  8. ^ Talia Baugnon (30 September 2014). "Dante Basco talks Hollywood at LMU". Los Angeles Loyolan. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  9. ^ Yuan, Jada (August 22, 2010). "Hong Kong's Hit Girl". New York. Retrieved August 24, 2010.
  10. ^ "Supah Ninja's Ryan Potter – My Day My Life". Alloy TV. September 16, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  11. ^ "The Mindy Project is Progress for Indian-Americans—How Could It Not Be?". www.slate.com. 26 September 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
  12. ^ "The CW Finds Its Beauty: 'Smallville's Kristin Kreuk To Star In 'Beauty & The Beast' Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. 16 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
  13. ^ Yang, Jeff (May 2, 2014). "Why the 'Fresh Off the Boat' TV Series Could Change the Game". WSJ Blogs - Speakeasy. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  14. ^ Cain, Rob (1 October 2015). "Priyanka Chopra Breaks New Ground For Indian Actors In America". Forbes. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  15. ^ J. Maureen Henderson. "Is Aziz Ansari's 'Master Of None' The Show That Aging Millennials Have Been Waiting For?". Forbes. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  16. ^ Maureen Ryan (12 November 2015). "'Into the Badlands' Review: Daniel Wu brings charisma to action drama — Variety". Variety. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  17. ^ Sowmya Rajendran (13 November 2016). "Coming soon on Netflix: Brown Nation, an Indian American sitcom directed by Abi Varghese". The News Minute. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
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