Before shows like “Kim’s Convenience,” “Fresh Off The Boat,” or “Grey’s Anatomy,” there were not many series on television that featured Asian and Asian American performers in prominent roles. While silent film star Anna May Wong appeared in a short-lived show called “The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong” in 1951 and CBS aired the Hanna-Barbera cartoon “The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan,” Pat Morita and George Takei were the primary representatives for Asian culture on TV before the 1980s, thanks to “Happy Days” and “Star Trek” respectively. And when ABC was looking to create a “Welcome Back, Kotter” spin-off featuring an Asian lead, both actors became involved with the project at different stages of development.
According to an interview with Takei from a 1976 issue of Starlog, he starred in the pilot for “Mr. T and Tina.” The show followed widowed Japanese inventor Taro Takahashi as he moved from Tokyo to work at Moyati Industries’ Chicago offices. To help with his children, Takahashi (or Mr. T) would hire the klutzy yet well-meaning Tina Kelly (played by Susan Blanchard of “All My Children” fame) as their live-in nanny. With his traditional Japanese background and her bubbly Nebraska upbringing, hilarity ensued when their cultures clashed.
While the premise stuck, the pilot underwent several changes before it premiered in the fall 1976, including swapping out the star. Takei recounted that “the show was originally intended to be on later in the evening, around 9:30 or 10:00. When ABC decided to air the show earlier in the evening and not go for the more sophisticated humor like in ‘Maude,’ they decided to go with Pat Morita as the star of the series.”
Mr. T and Tina was not well-received by critics
While “Mr. T and Tina” was being developed by James Komack (who also acted as a producer on “Welcome Back, Kotter” and “Chico and the Man”), stand-up comedy veteran Pat Morita already had a recurring role on the hit ABC sitcom “Happy Days” as diner owner Matsuo “Arnold” Takahashi. When the opportunity to star in his own show came up, he left Fonzie and the gang behind after the first season.
Unfortunately, several factors led to the early downfall of this show. Critics called it the worst show of the year after seeing multiple versions of the pilot. The Asian-Americans for Fair Media and Japanese American Citizens League protested the show for its stereotypical portrayals of Asian Americans. And after receiving poor ratings, the sitcom was cancelled after only five episodes made it to air.
Despite the disappointing ending for “Mr. T and Tina,” history shows that Morita and Takei bounced back after this project fell apart. Takei continued to reprise the role of Hikaru Sulu in several “Star Trek” projects over the years while advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, writing his own books and graphic novels, and racking up an impressive resume that includes the Broadway musical “Allegiance,” the animated Disney classic “Mulan,” superhero drama “Heroes,” and much more.
As for Morita, he appeared in another short-lived series called “Blansky’s Beauties.” For this “Happy Days” spinoff, he reprised the role of Arnold, but this time as a coffee shop owner. Following that show’s cancellation, he returned to the diner where it all started and popped up on the original show periodically during the 1982-1983 season. However, when “The Karate Kid” hit theaters in the summer of 1984, Morita would cement his place in pop culture as Daniel LaRusso’s wise martial arts teacher and mentor Keisuke Miyagi.