'Fresh Off the Boat' puts Asian-American family in the spotlight

NEW YORK -- A new ABC comedy premieres Wednesday night, and it centers around a type of family that has not been at the forefront of a network show in quite some time.

"Fresh Off the Boat" is part of an effort by ABC to push for greater diversity in prime time, and industry trade paper "Variety" says the sitcom represents a leap forward.

The year is 1995, and Eddie's family is moving from Washington, D.C., so his father can open a restaurant.

The project -- Cattleman's Ranch Steak House -- turns out to be as strange as it sounds, but the focus of the new sitcom is on Eddie himself.

Eddie loves rap and hopes it will help him fit in, while his parents just want to assimilate.

"Fresh Off the Boat" is a potential game changer, as it is the first network sitcom in two decades to feature a predominately Asian cast.

"When you are the first Asian-American family on network TV in 20 years, you're going to have (a lot of people), a lot of expectations," actor Randall Park said.

The new show is based on real life and inspired by a memoir, and the stars also bring their own experiences to the project.

"I think the first script had a lot of moments that felt very true to me," actress Constance Wu said. "I have a similar backstory."

It was while filming this new series that Park faced what he calls a strange time -- the controversy surrounding the Sony hacking and the release of the Seth Rogan and James Franco comedy, "The Interview."

In it, he plays Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea.

"It was madness," he said. "You know, it was it was confusing...I went through the gamut of emotions throughout that process."

Hackers disrupted the release of the movie, limiting "The Interview" to just a few hundred theaters nationwide, though millions saw it online.

It's serious stuff, but Park is a funny man. And so is newcomer Hudson Yang, who plays Eddie.