Two brand new episodes of ABC’s new comedy “Fresh Off The Boat” this Tuesday

This is a sponsored post. I was provided with free airfare and hotel accommodations as part of an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles. All opinions are 100% my own.

The #1 new comedy in America Fresh Off The Boat is an Asian-American comedy series loosely based off the book Fresh Off The Boat: A Memoir written by food personality, chef, and restaurant owner Eddie Huang. When Executive Producer and Writer Nahnatchka Khan was given Eddie’s memoir she knew that it needed to be made into a show, and since ABC is in the forefront of bringing more diversity to TV land, Khan pitched her idea to ABC and the show was quickly greenlit.

Nahnatchka Khan, Writer/Executive Producer is a creator for television and executive producer of Fresh Off the Boat. Prior to that, she was the creator and executive producer of Don’t Trust the B—- In Apartment 23, which aired for two seasons on ABC, from 2011-2012. Before creating her own series, she served as an executive producer on the Fox animated show American Dad.

Q : How did you come up with the idea?

NK : Melvin Mar, who is one of the other Executive Producers, sent me a Memoir that Eddie Huang wrote and I read it. I thought it was fantastic and it was, there was a section of it that focused on his family moving to Orlando in 1995 so his Dad could own and operate a Steak House and I just thought, what a great setting that would be for a TV Show. So that’s what I sort of pitched to Melvin and Jake Kasden, who’s his Producing Partner and we took that to 20th or Studio, who was immediately on board with it and we pitched it to the Networks and multiple Networks wanted it and ABC like Paul Lee and Samie Falvey who’s the President and the Head of Development [respectively] were like here’s why it belongs at ABC and here’s our commitment to diversity.

Q : Did you work with the author, Eddie Huang a lot?

NK : Definitely, because you know, it’s not like a Bio Pic or Documentary, it’s a fictionalized version of you know, his — his book is the inspiration for what’s now the TV Family, the Huangs, which yeah, you know, all the stories that are coming up are collective stories from all of us and wanting to feel very inclusive, I think is the idea, you know, and being like I — I can relate to that, you know, on any sort of level.

Kourtney Kang is a co-Executive Producer and also wrote the “Home Sweet Home-school” episode that aired last week. Kourtney Kang is currently under an overall deal at Twentieth Century Fox where she is a writer and Co-Executive Producer on ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat. Previously, she was a writer and Executive Producer on CBS’s How I Met Your Mother. She was with the show from the inception and worked on it for the whole nine seasons. While there, she earned an Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Comedy. She has written features for FOX and HBO, and early in her career was an executive at NBC in the Comedy Development department. Kang started out as a playwright and holds her MFA from Carnegie Mellon School of Drama. She has two smart, strong daughters and another one on the way. You can follow her on twitter @kourtneykang.

Q : Did ABC push for more diversity? Did you have to go looking for Fresh off the Boat?

NK : Yeah, you know, when Melvin sent it to me, I was like this is great. And I really related, you know, being Persian, but I related to so many things, like the details were different but the experiences of so many of the things that Eddie told in the story were the same. And I was like I would love to tell this immigrant story and I would love to tell it, like the way it sort of went down and. 

KK : I was excited and you know, the Network and Studio were really excited, too. We started the casting process early because we needed to test the kids, find kids that can carry a series which is not easy to do. Thankfully we did, which was great.

The adorably sweet, and very well-mannered actors Ian Chen (Evan Huang), and Forrest Wheeler (Emery Huang) were kind enough to come out and meet our group of blogging moms and dads.

When Ian Chen was asked what his favorite part of acting is, he replied, “being on set, and playing after we do the work”. And while our group was in the room screening some new FOB episodes it was cute to see the boy’s faces when they would see themselves on TV.

Forrest and Ian were both asked what they want to be in they grow up. Forrest wants to be a entrepreneur in the hotel business. Ian said he either wants to be a helicopter pilot, cruise ship captain, or own his own cruise line. I like how these young men think big and have such big goals for their futures.

I already previewed the two new episodes airing tonight. I truly enjoyed them and I know my family will want to watch. They already enjoyed the first few shows!

Here’s a little bit about the two brand new episodes of Fresh Off the Boat that you can look forward to seeing.

“The Shunning” – When the cul-de-sac plans a block party to celebrate NASCAR, Louis urges the family to use the event to make new friends (and promote Cattleman’s Ranch Steakhouse). But Jessica has problems fitting in, especially after she befriends a beautiful trophy wife that the roller blade moms don’t like. Meanwhile, Eddie schemes to win the respect of the neighborhood kids, in the time-period premiere of ABC’s new comedy series Fresh Off the Boat, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10 (8:00-8:30 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Nicole Wilder)
Shown: HUDSON YANG, LEAIRE GEORGE, FORREST WHEELER, ELOISE ESTEVEZ

“Success Perm” – Family rivalry spirals out of control when Jessica’s sister, Connie, and her far more affluent husband come to visit. The Huangs try to convince everyone they’re doing great financially, when nothing could be further from the truth. Meanwhile, Eddie is excited to be reunited with his cousin Justin, who introduced him to hip hop, until he learns the kid has moved on to grunge, on Fresh Off the Boat, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10 (8:30-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Gilles Mingasson) Shown: CONSTANCE WU, RANDALL PARK

Follow Fresh Off The Boat on Twitter @FreshOffABC #FreshOffTheBoat and on Facebook facebook.com/FreshOffTheBoatABC.

http://youtu.be/nawBW79UnYU

You don’t want to miss tonight’s all-new episodes starting at 8|7c. Make sure you tune in.