Fox Nixes ‘Dads’ Re-Shoot, Says ‘Poking Fun At Stereotypes And Bigotries’ Is The Point

Fox won’t be re-shooting the pilot episode of Seth MacFarlane’s new sitcom Dads, despite criticisms from a media watchdog group that the episode is offensive to Asian-Americans.

The Media Action Network for Asian Americans sent a letter to Fox Monday, asking the network to re-shoot some “racist” scenes in the live-action comedy series. The show is about two video game designers with cranky, racist dads who move in with them. In the pilot, the dad characters refer to Asians as “Orientals,” and one says, “There’s a reason ‘Shanghai’ is a verb.”

Another controversial scene shows a character played by Brenda Song dressed in a sexy Asian schoolgirl costume and affecting Japanese stereotypes to please Chinese businessmen.

TV critics have also taken issue with the program’s offensive content.

But Fox has decided not to re-shoot these scenes, and explained that Dads will prove itself over time.

“You will see that Brenda Song’s character is a strong, intelligent, empowered young woman who basically runs the company, and who almost always gets the upper hand,” network executives said in a statement.

They also called the show “evocative” and said that it will “poke fun at stereotypes and bigotries – sometimes through over-the-top, ridiculous situations.”

They added, “The series is based heavily on the executive producers’ own lives, and the relationships between the fathers and sons on Dads will continue to be the main driver of show’s comedic sensibility. Everyone involved with Dads is striving to create a series with humor that works on multiple levels and ‘earns’ its audaciousness.”

Do you think that Fox should comply with the Media Action Network for Asian Americans’ request, or should Dads be given a chance to prove itself before the criticisms start rolling in?