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ASIAN-AMERICAN ACTRESS A HIT ON `ALLY MCBEAL’

“Wow, cool, an Asian girl with attitude!”

That was Fam Saechao’s initial assessment of Ling, the newest and nastiest character on the hit prime-time television show “Ally McBeal” (8 p.m. Mondays on WFLD-Ch.32).

“But now she’s become really ugly,” said Saechao, 17, a high school senior in San Francisco.

On the other coast, New York University sophomore Jin Moon, 20, begged to differ.

“Ling blows you away — she doesn’t take anything from anybody,” Moon said. “She stands up to people.”

Asian-Americans and others are abuzz about Ling Woo and the scene-stealing Chinese-American actress, Lucy Liu, who plays her on the Fox television show.

Since joining the cast in September, Liu’s glowering portrayal of Ling has drawn raves from fans who relish her shockingly loutish one-liners and, more recently, on-screen sexual dabblings with her boss.

“We are thrilled at the way that character has taken off,” said Fox spokesman Jonathan Hogan.

Ling blends right into the multitude of quirky characters who populate creator David E. Kelley’s tapestry of subversive gender humor.

Many Asian-Americans — who see all too few nonstereotypical images of Asian-Americans in popular media — face a conflict over Liu’s character, even as they appreciate the context of the show.

Some see the in-your-face Ling vanquishing stereotypes of Asian women as meek and submissive.

Others view her as perpetuating equally harmful stereotypes of Asian woman as exotic Dragon Ladies, especially with her recent on-screen sexual forays.

“On the one hand, she’s a stereotype breaker,” said Jeff Yang, founding publisher of A. Magazine, a New York-based publication on Asian-American culture. “She’s a strong Asian woman who’s clearly potent, clearly has control. She’s not a victim, not somebody who lets anyone come even close to victimizing her.”

In recent episodes, Ling, a lawyer, snapped at a judge to “Hurry up!” as he read the verdict, encouraged a little boy with cancer to sue God and blamed handicapped people for taking up “all the parking spaces.”

When displeased, which is often, she narrows her eyes, and a growl is heard on the sound track. Or she appears and the “Wizard of Oz” tune “Wicked Witch of the West” plays.

All of which makes her fans yearn for more.

“I’m just so happy to finally see a Chinese chick on TV!” said one electronic mail message on the Ally McBeal message board.

“It’s about time!” noted another. “And she is beautiful!”