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How the reality show 'All in the Family with Dr. Tess' is helping change Asian stereotypes

By Bong Godinez
Published October 27, 2021 10:25 AM PHT

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All in the Family with Dr Tess


Hollywood icon Paula Abdul will be guesting in the hit reality show popular among Filipinos and Asians living abroad.

What is life like for an immigrant family living in the US?

This is the thought behind the feel-good reality show All in the Family with Dr. Tess, which will be unveiling its fourth season on November 6 on GMA Pinoy TV.

The show, top-billed by “America's favorite dermatologist” Dr. Tess Mauricio-Lee, follows the different generations of the Mauricio family in their everyday lives - from her two children with Korean husband Dr. James Lee, her siblings and their respective spouses, parents, and even up to her grandparents.

The outcome: A program that hits close to home for Filipinos who seek opportunities and start a new life in a foreign country.

AITF presents how life is for many Asian immigrants in America and highlights Filipino culture and tradition minus over-the-top drama common in typical reality shows nowadays.

“We are a multicultural family, like immigrant family coming to America trying to make it. The kids grow up, they marry, their interracial relationships, how do we make it work? How are the non-Filipino family members dealing with being in this strong and closely-knit Filipino family?” said Dr. Tess during the press conference announcing the upcoming new season.

“What's also interesting is seeing how our kids are evolving and growing, and I think that's kinda linking my mom's generation, to our generation, to future generations and future viewers of GMA Pinoy TV as well.”

The message of AITF couldn't be more relevant than today, with the issue of “Asian Hate” continuing to hit the headlines not just in the US but across the globe.

“We felt strongly that when we were doing this show that we wanted to show us, our family, Asian-Americans, Filipino-Americans, as normal people living normal lives, doing normal things,” said Dr. James.

“So yeah, that was real to us and we experienced it firsthand and we wanted to pass that on.”

Asian representation in mainstream media, according to Dr. Tess, matters a lot, and content catering to this need is very much needed in today's time.

“I think that was definitely one of my motivations to start creating shows - from RSVP, to The Dr. Tess Show, to 'All in the Family' - the representation and thinking of the next generation,” Dr. Tess told GMANetwork.com.

As someone who moved to the US at a young age, Dr. Tess knows fully well how overwhelming it is to suddenly feel like a minority in a different country.

“Because growing up here in the US, I didn't have any real mentor or a role model. Many times I was the only Asian doctor in big conferences, and so I wanted for people to see that yes there is somebody there, there are Asians who are in the mainstream doing incredible things,” said Dr. Tess.

She takes pride in hearing the impact of her shows on the viewers, particularly young Filipino and Asian immigrants, who feel empowered to dream big and not feel constrained by their race and skin color.

“We hear from young people who come to us to say that watching the shows during the last ten years has positively impacted them and they felt that they're inspired and it's possible for them because they see it in us,” Dr. Tess mentioned.

For its fourth season, no less than Hollywood superstar Paula Abdul will grace the show. Paula and Dr. Tess are good friends and the two will look back on their years of friendship and the actress-singer's connection with Dr. James.

Viewers abroad can catch the new season of All in the Family with Dr. Tess beginning November 6 every Saturday at 4:00 p.m. (Pacific time) and 7:00 p.m. (Eastern time) on GMA Pinoy TV.

Meanwhile, these local celebrities have raised their voice against Asian hate crimes.