Nahnatchka Khan

Nahnatchka Khan (born c. 1973) is an American television writer and producer. She created and executive produced the ABC comedy series Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 (2012–2013) and Fresh Off the Boat (2015–2020), the NBC comedy series Young Rock (2021–2023), and adapted the Peacock series Laid. She also directed the streaming films Always Be My Maybe and Totally Killer (2023). She was a writer on American Dad.

Early life Khan's parents immigrated to the United States from Iran. She was born in Las Vegas and grew up in Hawaii.

Career Khan started her writing career on 20th Century Fox's Malcolm in the Middle. She also worked for Disney Television Animation, including Disney's 1990s animated sitcom, Pepper Ann, the division's first series created by a woman. According to Khan, Pepper Ann's "Sue Rose wanted to do this show about this 12-year-old girl raised by a single mom and who had this really active fantasy life," something that had not been done before.

In 2012, Khan created the ABC comedy series Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23. The series debuted on April 11, 2012, and ran for two seasons until January 15, 2013.

In 2015, Khan created the TV show Fresh Off the Boat which also aired on ABC. The show was lauded for being "the first network sitcom to feature an Asian family since 1994's All-American Girl." Khan was honored for her contributions to the Asian Pacific American community, specifically through this show, by East West Players during their 50th Anniversary Visionary Awards Dinner & Silent Auction. The series ran for six seasons and concluded on February 21, 2020.

In 2016, Khan signed a multiyear deal to create, write, develop, and supervise projects for Twentieth Century Fox, under her company, Fierce Baby Productions.

In 2018, it was announced that Khan would make her directorial debut with Always Be My Maybe which was released on Netflix in May 2019. The film went on to be positively received. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 89% based on 94 reviews, with an average rating of 7.00/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Carried by the infectious charms of Ali Wong and Randall Park, Always Be My Maybe takes familiar rom-com beats and cleverly layers in smart social commentary to find its own sweet groove."

In 2020, Netflix won the rights to Jesse Q. Sutanto's book, Dial A for Aunties, which they announced will be produced and directed by Khan.

Then in 2021, she co-created the series Young Rock with Jeff Chiang which premiered on NBC on February 16, 2021. The series has received generally positive reviews from critics. The series ran for three seasons and a 2021 holiday special.

In 2023, Khan directed the Prime Video film Totally Killer.

Themes As an Iranian-American, Khan remembered growing up with few representations of herself on television. "There was really no representation of any Middle Eastern culture, so [for me and my brother] growing up, our hero was Iron Sheik—a character in WWF wrestling…. He was from Iran, and he was always the underdog to, like, Hulk Hogan. Everybody was booing, but we were super cheering for him!" Like many women in the television industry, Khan reported feeling "pigeon-holed" as a writer. "I was the only woman in the room a lot of times, so I felt like people looked at me for the wife joke or the daughter joke," she said. "For me it was just the female voice."

From the beginning of her career, Khan has created diverse images that work to subvert television stereotypes. She is best known for creating the ABC sitcoms Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 and Fresh Off the Boat. Fresh Off the Boat, based on restaurateur Eddie Huang's memoir, made television history by centering the experiences of a Taiwanese-American family in Florida. One critic commented on its additional significance that, "It was the first show to feature an Asian American cast since All American Girl in 1994.

A lesbian herself, Khan routinely features queer themes in Fresh Off the Boat: Eddie's mom, Jessica (Constance Wu), regularly visits the local lesbian bar, The Denim Turtle. Eddie's former love interest, Nicole, struggles to come out to her father and family.

Personal life Khan's brother, Nick Khan, is the President and co-CEO of WWE.

Filmography Film Year Title Director Executive producer 2019 Always Be My Maybe 2023 Totally Killer

Television Year Title Director Writer Executive producer Producer Creator Notes 1997 Recess Episode "To Finster, with Love" 1997–2001 Pepper Ann Wrote 15 episodes 2001 Undergrads 2 episodes 2002–2003 Malcolm in the Middle Episode "If Boys Were Girls" 2003 What I Like About You Episode "The Fix Up" 2003–2004 Good Morning, Miami 2 episodes 2003–2005 What's New, Scooby-Doo? 2 episodes 2004–2007 Unfabulous 5 episodes 2005–2011 American Dad! Wrote 10 episodes 2012–2013 Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 3 episodes (writer);1 episode (director) 2015–2020 Fresh Off the Boat 4 episodes (writer);2 episodes (director) 2021–2023 Young Rock 5 episodes (writer);4 episodes (director) 2022 Ali Wong: Don Wong Stand-up comedy special 2024 Laid Untitled Krysten Ritter project