Gone are the days where Asian actors are simply relegated to being a sidekick, or forced to play cringey caricatures with simplistic stereotypes.

These days, viewers can see more nuanced portrayals of Asian characters, as well as relatable representation of Asian culture in Western media. The following shows are prime examples of Asian talents being at the front and centre of the story.

1. John Cho in ‘Cowboy Bebop’

It’s been five years since the #StarringJohnCho hashtag sparked a widespread call for more diversity and Asian-American leading men.

Since becoming the face of a movement, Cho has marked a handful of milestones for Asian representation in Hollywood, including becoming the first Asian-American actor to headline a mainstream thriller film with 2018’s “Searching”.

In the “Cowboy Bebop” live-action series, he plays Spike Spiegel, an impossibly cool bounty hunter with even cooler hair who travels the solar system with his ex-cop partner, Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), in pursuit of the universe’s most dangerous bounties.

2. Jessie Mei Li and Amita Suman in ‘Shadow and Bone’

Much like her half-Shu, half-Ravkan character Alina Starkov, Jessie Mei Li is of mixed-race heritage. Having grown up in the United Kingdom, Li – born to an English mother and a Chinese father – was able to tap into her personal experiences to bring Alina to life.

Her co-star Amita Suman, who plays indentured servant turned knife-wielding spy Inej Ghafa, also drew influences from her life for the role, having spent her childhood in a village in Nepal before moving to England when she was seven.

3. Rahul Kohli in ‘Midnight Mass’

In what is probably the most refreshing and empowering portrayal of a Muslim character in Western media, Rahul Kohli – who is of Punjabi Hindu descent – plays Hassan, a single father and a Muslim sheriff on small, isolated island who struggles to fit in with the town’s predominantly Christian inhabitants.

Kohli credits his best friends, both Muslims, for their work and input in making the character as accurate and authentic as possible, while nailing the nuances of what it is like to be a Muslim of the present day.

4. Jimmy O Yang and Darren Barnet in ‘Love Hard’

In this romantic comedy, Jimmy O Yang, whose parents are originally from Shanghai, takes on the role of nerdy Josh Lin, who catfishes unlucky-in-love writer Natalie (Nina Dobrev) into thinking he’s a much hotter dude (played by Darren Barnet, who is part-Japanese).

Josh’s family members are also played by Asian performers: Japanese-American actor James Saito plays his father Bob, while his older brother Owen is played by Harry Shum Jr, who is of Chinese descent.

5. The cast of ‘Never Have I Ever’

The aforementioned Darren Barnet plays a teenage heartthrob and love interest of the show’s main character Devi, portrayed by Tamil-Canadian actress Maitreyi Ramakrishnan in her first acting credit.

Often lauded for its diverse casting on top of its nuanced representation of Indian culture and values, this series also stars Poorna Jagannathan and Sendhil Ramamurthy, who play Devi’s parents, as well as Richa Moorjani, Ramona Young, Megan Suri and Utkarsh Ambudkar.

6. Lana Condor and Ross Butler in the ‘To All the Boys’ trilogy

Lana Condor was born in Vietnam and adopted by American parents as an infant.

The actress, who plays Lara Jean in the movies, has said she feels “so comfortable and very understood” portraying a mixed-race character, having grown up in a mixed household with white parents and an adoptive brother who is Asian.

The trilogy also stars Singapore-born actor Ross Butler, whose mother is Chinese-Malaysian.

7. Ali Wong and Randall Park in ‘Always Be My Maybe’

Fans of Ali Wong would know the actress and comedian was born to a Chinese-American father and Vietnamese mother, thanks to her hilarious anecdotes about them in her “Baby Cobra” comedy special.

Meanwhile, Randall Park’s parents moved from Korea to the United States, where he was born and raised. In fact, this film was inspired by some of his real-life experiences growing up in LA.

Keanu Reeves, who makes a brief but significant appearance, is also part Chinese on his paternal side.

8. Sandra Oh in ‘The Chair’

On top of becoming the first woman of Asian descent to win two Golden Globe awards, Sandra Oh became the first Asian woman to host the awards ceremony in 2019, as well as the first Asian-Canadian woman to host “Saturday Night Live” that same year.

In this comedy series, she plays Ji-yoon Kim, the first woman of colour to be appointed chair of the English department of a major university.

All these programmes are streaming on Netflix.