Mr. T and Tina is an American sitcom[1] and a spin-off of Welcome Back, Kotter starring Pat Morita and Susan Blanchard that aired for five episodes on ABC from September 25 to October 30, 1976.

Pat Morita starred as Taro Takahashi, a widowed Japanese inventor who is sent with his family (an uncle and sister-in-law) from Tokyo to set up the Chicago branch of his employer, Moyati Industries.

He hires scatterbrained and free-spirited American Tina Kelly (Susan Blanchard) as the live-in governess for his children, Sachi (June Angela) and Aki (Gene Profanato).

[4] According to series creator Komack, Chico and the Man was originally conceived with Nisei and Chicano leads; because that pairing proved awkward, he saved the Japanese-American character for another show.

[13] Shortly afterward, it was rumored that NBC would be counterprogramming a new show with the working title Mrs. T. and Sympathy, about a widowed Caucasian businesswoman from America moving to Tokyo.

[17] According to Morita, the pilot was well-received following an early screening to Japanese Americans living in Los Angeles: "They fell down laughing.

[21] One news article compared the upcoming series to The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1969–72), also created by Komack, with reversed ethnic roles.

[29] After the pilot was screened for national television critics in Los Angeles in June 1976, the group collectively voted it the "worst new show they had endured" and rued that Morita deserved a better vehicle for his talents.

"[31] The critics that had attended the Los Angeles session were invited to re-watch the premiere episode in late September, being told "it is far different than the show you saw last June".

[30][31] John Archibald gave the revised premiere a tepid reception, noting that Tina's role had been cut back and Harvard was featured more prominently.

[37] The show has since been cited as one of the first television shows to star an Asian-American lead[38][39] and feature a predominantly Asian-American cast, following the short-lived drama The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong (1951) and the animated The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan (1972), and predating the sitcoms Gung Ho (1986) and Margaret Cho's All-American Girl (1994–95).

[54] After both Mr. T and Tina and Blansky's Beauties were canceled, Morita returned to Happy Days, portraying Arnold in occasional appearances, starting in 1982.

[23] June Angela and Gene Profanato, the actors portraying the children, were actual siblings born to an Italian father and Japanese mother.