‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ aired a landmark moment for Filipinos on American TV

Something very cool happened on Monday’s episode of The CW’s criminally under-watched Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, an hour-long musical comedy that’s as delightful as its title is unfortunate.

In her latest attempt to woo ex-boyfriend Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III), Rebecca (Rachel Bloom) wheedles an invitation to Thanksgiving at his parents’ house. Josh’s family happens to be Filipino-American.

This is the very first time we’ve seen a Filipino family’s Thanksgiving dinner portrayed on U.S. television—and, in an echo of a powerful moment from Fresh Off the Boat earlier this season, likely the first time we’ve seen a Filipino family sit down for a meal together at all.

In fact, as star Rachel Bloom pointed out on Twitter, it’s hard to think of a single representation of a Filipino family on an American TV comedy.

Sure, Rebecca learns a few key Tagalog phrases and whips up a batch of dinuguan for the occasion, but part of what’s so amazing about the Chans’ Thanksgiving is how familiar it is: a quintessentially American holiday celebrated by a quintessentially American family.

Molly Fitzpatrick is senior editor of Fusion’s Pop & Culture section. Her interests include movies about movies, TV shows about TV shows, and movies about TV shows, but not so much TV shows about movies.