Sitcoms about families have long been a staple of primetime television. From older classics like “All in the Family” to more recent hits like “Modern Family,” familial ties bring together all elements necessary for a gold mine of comedy. “Fresh Off the Boat,” ABC’s latest offering, only continues that tradition.

Based on a memoir of the same name by chef and fashion designer Eddie Huang, the show follows Huang’s 11-year-old self as his family moves from Washington, D.C., to Orlando, Florida, so his father can open an old west-themed steakhouse. This change in location creates a fish-out-of-water premise, allowing the show to focus on the Asian ethnicity of its main characters while also pointing out how universal their experiences are.

In the pilot, Eddie beg his mother to buy him “white people’s lunch,” otherwise known as Lunchables, so that he’ll fit in with the rest of the kids at lunchtime. A storyline in the second episode follows his mom choosing between a friendship with an unpopular neighbor and the acceptance of the rest of the neighborhood moms.

The writing on “Fresh Off the Boat” is humorous, with a mixture of broad and subtle jokes, but what really makes them work is the casting. Forrest Wheeler and Ian Chen are believable and comfortable as Eddie’s younger, precocious brothers, while Hudson Yang perfectly captures not only young Eddie’s swagger and love of hip-hop, but also his feelings of being an outsider. Meanwhile Randall Park (“The Interview”) and Constance Wu (“Eastsiders”) are well-cast as Eddie’s parents, with Wu’s Jessica providing a great — and often pragmatic — foil for Park’s optimistically determined Louis.

It’s hard not to compare “Fresh Off the Boat” to “The Goldbergs,” another ABC sitcom. Both shows are set in the ’90s and feature a hilarious, scene-stealing mom. Jessica Huang might not resort to the kind of emotional manipulation of her family as Beverly Goldberg does, but she cares about her husband and kids just as much. It also doesn’t hurt that she gets some of the best punchlines in the first few episodes. Yet “Fresh Off the Boat” doesn’t make as many pop culture references as its network sibling, and instead most of the references made are usually in regards to music.

It is refreshing to see a family of another ethnicity on primetime network television. As Fox’s “The Mindy Project” and ABC’s “Cristela,” prove, exploring other cultures and races respectfully has potential for not just great comedy, but also for presenting new perspectives. “Fresh Off the Boat,” in particular will be doing a lot for mainstream representation of Asian-Americans, who have always been underrepresented on the small screen. 

“Fresh Off the Boat” premieres on Feb. 4 at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.

A version of this article appeared in the Tuesday, Feb. 3 print edition. Email Nivea Serrao at [email protected].