Get ready for meta mini-series madness! Interior Chinatown premieres in less than a month, and our excitement for it grows with each passing day.
The 10-episode show, inspired by Charles Yu’s 2020 award-winning novel of the same name, begins streaming on Hulu on Nov. 19. Leading up to the premiere, Hulu recently released a trailer full of action, humor, and suspense and a riveting poster.
Interior Chinatown’s synopsis is as follows:
“Based on Charles Yu’s award-winning book of the same name, the show follows the story of Willis Wu, a background character trapped in a police procedural called Black & White. Relegated to the background, Willis goes through the motions of his on-screen job, waiting tables and dreaming about a whole world beyond Chinatown. When he inadvertently becomes a witness to a crime, Willis begins to unravel a criminal web in Chinatown, his family’s buried history, and what it feels like to be in the spotlight.”
If that wasn’t enough to convince you to tune in, here are five reasons to watch Interior Chinatown on Hulu:
Chloe Bennet Back on Our Screens
Chloe Bennet playing a police detective? Close enough. Welcome back, Agent Daisy Johnson! Just kidding.
As much as we wonder what Quake has been up to in space alongside her man-out-of-time boyfriend and superpowered sister since Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ended in 2020, we’re thrilled to see Bennet in a new project. The Marvel alumna plays Detective Lana Lee in Interior Chinatown. In the satirical show’s first trailer, Lee is introduced as the ethnically ambiguous attractive Asian woman. But she’s so much more than that. Her competence and confidence as a detective are on full display as she enlists help from and leads an investigation in the in-show police procedural.
Bennet’s excitement and love for the role and show make the casting even better. When her casting news broke, she shared on Instagram that Interior Chinatown is one of her favorite books and became immediately obsessed with it when she read it during the pandemic. When the show’s first look was shared, Bennet said on Instagram, “This is my favorite thing I’ve ever done.”
Actors having so much love and dedication for their work is usually a great sign, so we have no doubt Bennet’s portrayal will have us wishing we were as cool as Detective Lee.
In Taika Waititi We Trust
Bennet isn’t the only name involved in Interior Chinatown that Marvel fans will recognize. Taika Waititi, known for directing Thor: Ragnarok and executive-producing What We Do in the Shadows, not only directed the show’s pilot but is also an executive producer. If the number of times we’ve rewatched Thor: Ragnarok is any indication, dare we say that Waititi’s involvement is more than reason enough to tune in?
Action, Comedy, and Drama — Oh My!
When both Jimmy O. Yang and Ronny Chieng are in a project together, humor is inevitable. But this satirical show is much more than just a comedy. The trailer showcases a great mix of action, comedy, and drama that viewers can expect from the limited series when it drops in November.
Yang and Chieng play Willis Wu and Fatty Choi, respectively. They’re best friends and coworkers who work together at the Golden Palace Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. Their friendship is featured throughout the trailer, showcases their dynamic, and offers a glimpse at humor that doesn’t feel overbearing but rather effortless.
Playing on the stereotype of Asians and martial arts, that comedic tone is used to lead into the kung fu montage of the trailer when Wu admits, “In Chinatown, kung fu can break out at any moment.” While the show isn’t a strict adaptation of the book it’s based on, the idea of kung fu is crucial in the book and seems imperative for the series, too.
But beneath the laughs and action is the mystery of the incidents and missing person that brought Bennet’s Lee to seek help from Wu. A can of soda opening on its own has never felt as dramatic as it did in the Interior Chinatown trailer, and it’s just one example of the craziness to come.
Asian Storytelling
While it’s important to tell diverse stories, it’s just as important for those stories to be told by the right people. That’s why we’re glad Interior Chinatown is an Asian story told by Asians, because who else better to tell such a narrative than the subjects themselves?
On the surface, the Asian storytelling is led by Bennet, Chieng, and Yang, who all get to play roles specifically for Asians like themselves. But it all goes back to Yu, the writer of the novel the show is based on, who has Taiwanese heritage. In an interview with The Seattle Times, Yu spoke about how his book contains autobiographical elements, drawing inspiration from his own life and that of his immigrant parents.
An Encouraging Message for All
Though the story will especially speak to Asians, Interior Chinatown’s message is one that everyone can learn from. Featured in the middle of the show’s poster is the phrase “BREAK OUT OF YOUR ROLE,” which is fitting for a project that will speak to how cliches and stereotypes affect people’s lives and identities. Even without the series’ context, the statement alone is a great reminder to not be confined by society’s expectations. So we’re looking forward to discovering how Hulu’s upcoming show will use its narrative to amplify that message.
