“This is a love story for all of us because we’re all immigrants, or we’re the children of immigrants, or the grandchildren of immigrants, or the great-grandchildren of immigrants, and it’s not a political show in that sense. “I have no idea what might the reaction be,” he said ahead of the series’ premiere, about any potential audience blowback. And on the surface, given CBS’ core demo, it was likely a risky bet which Lorre said was worth taking. It’s certainly a timely message, given the escalation in anti-immigrant sentiment that the current president continues to stoke. “So the premise of the series is immigrants make America great.” “Bob Hearts Abishola” Michael Yarish/2019 Warner Bros. “The story we wanted to tell is about the greatness of first generation immigrants, about the focus and discipline, the hard work, rigorous honesty that goes with coming here and grabbing ahold of the American dream,” Lorre said. The pair detailed how the idea for the show came about, during CBS’ TCA summer presentation. Initially hired as a consultant, Yashere became much more involved in the development of the series and is credited as a co-creator. He worked with Gina Yashere, a Nigerian comedian raised in the UK, on bringing his concept to fruition. If writing about what you don’t know, it’s your responsibility as a storyteller to do your research. ![]() There is indeed an authenticity to Abishola’s story that indicates Lorre did his homework. And I must say, four episodes into the first season, some of my initial concerns have been allayed. ![]() So I’m now having to watch the series as well, if only to keep up with the conversation. They did, and they loved it - much to my chagrin - and now there’s an ongoing family email thread discussing the series and its many cultural references, which may be lost on American viewers. I withheld criticism and encouraged them to watch and decide for themselves. They asked for my opinion on the series, given what I do for a living, wondering if it was worth checking out. He then sets his sights on winning her over, undaunted by her lack of initial interest or the vast differences in their backgrounds.Īfter dismissing the series early on, I was forced to take a second look at it, at the behest of family members. ![]() The comedic examination of immigrant life in America is billed as a love story about Bob (Billy Gardell), a middle-aged sock salesman from Detroit who unexpectedly falls for Abishola (Folake Olowofoyeku), his cardiac nurse, a Nigerian immigrant, while recovering from a heart attack. On scripted shows, there were just 25 major storylines about Africa during that period. television news and entertainment programming and commercials for an entire month, the USC researchers found that Africa and Africans rarely get star billing. New research by USC, in a study titled “ Africa in the Media,” shows that Africa and Africans are mostly invisible to American television viewers. That was a main concern I had upon first learning about the new CBS series “Bob Hearts Abishola,” which hails from award-winning creator, executive producer, and writer Chuck Lorre, known for his popular shows like “Mike & Molly,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and “Two and a Half Men.” A white American man telling a story that centers on the life of a Nigerian woman? What could go wrong? Not that it’s impossible, but Hollywood history isn’t on Lorre’s side.
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