stereotypes

2 Broke Girls Still Not Interested in Avoiding Asian Stereotypes

One of 2 Broke Girls regular characters is Han, the owner of the diner where the titular girls work. Han is a diminutive, thickly accented Asian man who is regularly made fun of for his lack of sex appeal, broken English, and general uncoolness. At the very divisive TCA panel about the series, showrunner Michael Patrick King basically said he didn’t think there was anything wrong with the portrayal of Han (or anything else about the show for that matter). But then, last month, word leaked out that 2 Broke Girls was casting for a “hot Asian guy” to play a web developer and love interest for Caroline, and more generally, one assumed, to help 2 Broke Girls make amends for all the Asian jokes and stereotypes it tells on a weekly basis. Well, last night the “hot Asian guy” appeared, and amends, they were not made.

Yes, there was an attractive, tall, unaccented Asian on last night’s episode, and, yes, he did have a one night stand with Caroline, but there was absolutely no meta-commentary, apology, backtracking, or knowing jokes about 2 Broke Girls’ regularly egregious stereotyping. Instead, there were tons of raunchy jokes (“Maybe let him browse your yahoo,” “Shouldn’t the web be mastered by now,” etc), a not-joke about how the guy in question “Did that thing where he pretended he was going to choke me” after sex, and, of course, more apparently obligatory jibes about Han’s sexual orientation/effeminacy. (Han: “I am a man in a man’s body.” Max: “We’re not talking about your nightlife.”) So, basically, 2 Broke Girls is still very much 2 Broke Girls. Take a look.

2 Broke Girls Still Not Interested in Avoiding Asian Stereotypes