Will there be a Fresh Off the Boat season 6?

Peak TV being what it is, there are way too many options to try and watch them all, let alone most of the shows critics and viewers are raving about. At the same time, this overly bountiful modern era of television means that there is more diversity in the options available than there has ever been before. In terms of representation, there’s still plenty of room for improvement, but with shows like ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat still chugging along, suchs concerns aren’t nearly as warranted. But can the show survive long enough to get to a Fresh Off the Boat season 6?

Will there be a Fresh Off the Boat season 6?

This Friday at 8 p.m. ET, the fifth season of the comedy series about the Huang family’s move from Washington D.C. to Florida premieres. Based on chef and food personality Eddie Huang’s memoir, Fresh Off the Boat follows his younger self’s (played by Hudson Yang) adolescence during the late ‘90s.

The real Huang was directly involved with the first season, and even served as the series’ narrator. However, the author publicly expressed frustrations with ABC’s approach to making the series and nearly severed ties with it. Subsequent seasons still credit him, but Huang has made it clear that he is not involved.

“I don’t recognize it,” he tweeted in 2015. “I don’t think it is helping us to perpetuate an artificial representation of Asian American lives and we should address it.”

Even so, Huang acknowledged the importance Fresh Off the Boat played, and still plays, in terms of representation in the mass media. And true to form, the show has become a significant platform for helping to launch the careers of those involved in its production.

Constance Wu, who plays Eddie’s mother Jessica, most recently lead the hugely successful Crazy Rich Asians film adaptation. Randall Park, who plays Eddie’s father Louis, has become an American comedy staple. Meanwhile, comedian Ali Wong, who wrote for the series in 2015 and 2016, is now one of the biggest stand-ups in the country. Her Netflix specials are some of the platform’s most popular, and she’s now branching out with new television and film projects.

Otherwise, and likely due (at least partially) to the overabundance of options currently available, Fresh Off the Boat is one of many shows that regularly struggles with renewal, so a Fresh Off the Boat season 6 may be in jeopardy. For the past few seasons, ABC’s decision to renew the series for another season has often come at the last minute. Park even issued a plea (albeit comedically) via a USA Today video to save the show from cancellation back in April, a month before the network finally agreed to do so.

Yet with an ever-dwindling ratings ranking ever since its first season run, Fresh Off the Boat still faces an uphill battle for relevance in a very crowded room of television sitcoms this season. ABC is using it to try and revitalize its TGIF programming this year, but there’s no telling if this gamble will work or if there will be a Fresh Off the Boat season 6.