Behind The Scenes
Producers initially described the show as being semi-autobiographical and based loosely on Cho's stand-up comedy; however, in the commentary track of the DVD set release, Cho pointedly states, "This is not based on my stand-up" every time the tag "Based on the stand-up of Margaret Cho" appears at the end of an episode. The show's format was continually being changed by producers and the network in an attempt to boost poor ratings, and the result was criticized as a poorly written show. It was canceled in 1995, after one season (19 episodes).
Cho has gone on to comment on the challenges of making the show. The details of these challenges have been outlined in her one-woman show and book, I'm The One That I Want.
- Cho states she was asked to lose a large amount of weight in order to play a character based on herself. Producers and network officials were concerned about the roundness of her face.
- She was advised that she was not acting Asian enough; an Asian Consultant was hired to teach her to be more Asian. When this angle was not successful, the Asian members of the cast (except Cho herself and Amy Hill) were dropped and replaced with a group of white friends for the main character to interact with. Cho claims she was then told she was too Asian for this new format.
- Cho's desperation to make the show a success led to decisions that affected her health negatively. Her rapid weight loss (30 pounds in 2 weeks) in order to complete the pilot episode caused serious kidney failure.
When the show was canceled, she spiraled into drug and alcohol addiction, on which she has since based much material in her live stage shows.
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