Cho starred as Margaret Kim, the rebellious daughter of Korean emigrants and bookstore owners, whose American attitude often comes into conflict with her more traditional parents (Jodi Long and Clyde Kusatsu).

[4][6][7][8] ABC attempted to counter low ratings by retooling the show into an ensemble sitcom about Margaret and her white friends, but the revamping was unsuccessful and the series was cancelled after one season.

[7][9][10] All-American Girl takes place in San Francisco, where Margaret Kim tries to navigate life with her family, friends, and romantic partners.

In the Kim family household, Margaret has many squabbles with her very traditional mother, Katherine, who wants nothing more than for her to settle down with a Korean boy and be successful.

Her passive father plays more of the middle-man in these touchy debates, and prefers to spend time working in their family-owned bookstore.

Margaret is a college student who frequently bounces between majors and works at the cosmetics counter of a department store with her friends, Ruthie and Gloria.

Margaret has now moved into a low-rent apartment with three guys — Spencer (Diedrich Bader), Phil (Sam Seder), and Jimmy (Andrew Lowery).

Margaret is anxious to hear back about a job interview at a record label, which is intensified when she and Phil have to deal with a rude phone customer service rep (Vicki Lawrence).

The show's creators suggested other titles for the series such as East Meets West and Wok on the Wild Side, before deciding on All-American Girl.

[6] Among the values and expectations thought to be typical of Asian American culture that are exhibited by the Kim parents include obedience and respect for elders, a high regard of education and success, and placing the most importance on the eldest son.

She has an edgy sense of style, wearing short dresses, leather outfits, and following the trends of the average American girl from the 1990s.

She wears different clothes, speaks in a higher register, laughs daintily behind her hand, and comes across as very polite—a significant contrast from her typically brash character.

[32] Throughout All-American Girl, Margaret Kim flutters around multiple male characters and maintains about 7 short-lived relationships, all of which last for only one episode.

Margaret does not in fact have strong feelings for Kyle, but she simply refuses to back down to her mother, who appears to be equally stubborn.

In subsequent episodes, Margaret finds herself dating a variety of male characters, including a professor, a handyman, and a criminal.

The site's critics consensus reads, "Margaret Cho acquits herself nicely as a leading lady, but All-American Girl's hit-and-miss laugh quotient doesn't measure up to her talents.

[36] Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Ken Tucker lamented that the show was the complete opposite of Cho's stand-up comedy, which he said "is all about exploding ethnic myths, starting with the notion that a Korean-American woman is likely to be quiet and demure.

"[8] Prior to the series premiere, Asian American advocacy groups such as MANAA monitored the pilot, read scripts and attended tapings.

[10] Similarly, non-Asian audiences were equally unable to identify with "yet another example of Hollywood's ignorance and indifference when it comes to depicting an ethnic group about which it knows so little".

[1][10] Show creator Gary Jacobs and BD Wong pushed back against criticism, with the latter saying, "A heavy accent does not a stereotype make.

[10] After the thirteenth episode, Ashley Johnson — who was added after the pilot — was written out of the series completely, while Ruthie, Gloria, and the rest of the Kims — besides Margaret and Grandma — appeared to be slowly phased out.

[42] Footage from All-American Girl made a brief appearance in the ABC comedy series, where the characters poked fun at its faults.