Really wasn't that bad!!! Opinions??

To understand what happened with the show, you've sorta got to be familiar with the times and logistics of TV. When "All-American Girl" debuted, there had never been an American sitcom with an all-Asian cast (come to think of it, I don't recall another since), and that was essentially the show's downfall. "Cheers" and "The Cosby Show" had recently gone off the air, "Roseanne" was suffering as a result of Tom Arnold's involvement and ridiculous behind-the-scenes shenanigans, so most critics were saying that the sitcom format was on its last legs... however, the also-critically derided (at first) "Friends" wound up becoming an unlikely success that same year, which led to a tidal wave of sitcoms in the 1995-96 season (but that's a whole other story...). Because sitcoms were in a state of flux at the time and an all-Asian cast had never been seen before, "All-American Girl" (henceforth referenced as "AAG") was high profile and under additional scrutiny.

In running "AAG," ABC made a slew of bad decisions. First, they paired it with "Thunder Alley," a returning midseason show starring Ed Asner (and a then-unknown kid named Haley Joel Osment). It's never a good sign when they pair a new show with one that isn't an established hit and, unsurprisingly, "Thunder Alley" was soon off the schedule... and replaced with the also returning and ratings-challenged midseason replacement "Sister, Sister." Adding insult to injury, ABC played up the Asian aspect in their promotion instead of marketing it like any of their other sitcoms -- if there was an especially ethnic joke in the episode, that's the clip that wound up in the Wednesday night commercials. Nestled between "Thunder Alley"/"Sister, Sister," "Roseanne" and "Ellen," "AAG"'s promos really stuck out in a "one of these things is not like the others" sort of way. I mean, it's not like they took the blackest dialogue to promote "Sister, Sister." And they wondered why ratings weren't high. Both powerhouse "Roseanne" and the then-recently revamped and renamed "Ellen" were consistently top 10 hits, but "AAG" wasn't garnering high numbers so, as is often the case when a show isn't instantly a hit, ABC began tinkering with it -- slowly at first, but culminating in the bizarre finale/spin-off-pilot, in which nearly the entire cast was absent.

Personally, I don't recall any bad reviews. Quite the opposite, in fact, so I surmise this is yet another case of Wikipedia not being entirely accurate. The reviews that I remember/can find said that the show could easily succumb to stereotypes, but Margaret Cho and scene-stealer Amy Hill got a lot of praise, and most reviews concluded that the show had great potential. Unfortunately, that potential was never fully realized. And the show's failure is probably why I can't recall another all-Asian American show since.

If ABC had just stuck "AAG" after "Roseanne" for a few weeks, there's a very good chance it would've given the ratings a massive boost, but it seemed like they were going out of their way to ensure it didn't last. Again, as often is the case. "AAG" was quirky and unique... and much more memorable than the countless crap sitcoms NBC churned out for the remainder of the decade. It's a shame that it didn't get a second season, as that's when most shows really find their groove.

I should also add that the show had one strike against it going in: Amy Hill. Don't get me wrong, I adore her, but she equals sitcom death, just like Alison La Placa and Ted McGinley. Nearly every sitcom that she's starred and/or guest-starred in has been prematurely canceled following her appearance.

This show came up while we were discussing the lack of non-stereotypical Asian shows on TV. I remember a lot of funny moments...and everyone seems to remember the grandma

A great oak tree was just a lil nut that stood its ground.

Yes, it was that bad. Back then I really liked Margaret Cho and was happy to see she had gotten her own sitcom. However, I watched it and can't say I enjoyed it. I fail to understand how the writing was "smart" or "funny" as you claim. It was full of stereotypes which isn't "smart" and shouldn't be "funny". Making fun of stereotypes is funny. Keeping them going is not.

White people were writing the episodes to appeal to White America rather than letting Cho have control over the project. I'd like to think that the show could have been done a bit better today...but maybe not. Americans are still pretty clueless when it comes to Asians. There are other Asians out there besides Chinese or Japanese. Pretty silly to have a sitcom based on a "traditional" Korean family that has no Koreans in it. I guarantee that just pissed off any Asian Americans who saw it.

The people you idolize wouldn't like you.