Abstract
CBS’ Bob Hearts Abishola is the first sitcom on broadcast television to center on the life of African immigrants. Created by Chuck Lorre and co-produced by British-Nigerian comedian, Gina Yashere, the show details the day-to-day life experience of a Nigerian immigrant in the workplace, in a family, and in relationships. Using Stuart Hall’s work as a framework, this chapter explores the emergent themes present in the show and examines what it reveals about an African immigrant’s life in the United States. Further, this analysis argues that while the show favors immigrants by displaying their hard work ethic, the show also works to perpetuate stereotypes of African American which foster intraracial tensions between Black Americans and African immigrants.
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Frederick, N., Banjo, O.O., Nwachukwu, E. (2021). Immigrants Make America Great: A Textual Analysis of Bob Hearts Abishola. In: Banjo, O.O. (eds) Immigrant Generations, Media Representations, and Audiences. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75311-5_6
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