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Interior Chinatown (TV series)

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Interior Chinatown
GenreAction comedy
Created byCharles Yu
Based onInterior Chinatown
by Charles Yu
ShowrunnerCharles Yu
Starring
Music by
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Joanne Toll
  • Alex Russell
  • Matt Okumura
Cinematography
  • Mike Berlucchi
  • Tari Segal
Editors
  • Andrew Groves
  • Joanne Yarrow
  • Nicole Brik
  • Patrick Tuck
  • Tamar Federknopp
  • David Chang
Running time34–47 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkHulu
ReleaseNovember 19, 2024 (2024-11-19)

Interior Chinatown is an American action comedy television series created by showrunner Charles Yu based on his 2020 novel of the same name. The series stars Jimmy O. Yang as a struggling character actor in Chinatown thrust into the spotlight after witnessing a crime. Produced by 20th Television, the series premiered on Hulu on November 19, 2024.[1]

Premise

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Willis Wu is a background character stuck in a police procedural called Black and White. One day he accidentally witnesses a crime, and as he investigates, he starts to uncover family secrets and a Chinatown criminal underground while learning how it feels to be in the spotlight.

...appears to be set around the millennium, a time of corded phones and boxy cars, but there’s also a hard seltzer ad soundtracked by the 2000 trance hit Sandstorm[2]

Willis’ mom, Lily, has her own room in the SRO,[3] Willis’ dad, Joe, has his own room in the SRO, and Willis has his own room in the SRO, with a set of bunk beds.[4]

Golden Palace Restaurant setting[3] is inspired by the real-life Doyers Street and the real-life Doyers Street tunnels[5] in Manhattan’s Chinatown.

Cast

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Main

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Recurring

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  • Tzi Ma[a] as Joe Wu
  • Annie Chang as Audrey Chan
  • Chau Long as Carl
  • Allan McLeod as Desk Sergeant Felix
  • Marlon Young as Janitor
  • Lauren Tom as Betty
  • Michael J. Harney[7] as Chief Walden
  • Chris Pang as Older Brother
  • Maury Sterling as Carrey, the original detective of the police procedural Black & White[8]
  • Spencer Neville as McDonough, the original detective of the police procedural Black & White[8]

Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release dateProd.
code
1"Generic Asian Man"Taika WaititiCharles YuNovember 19, 2024 (2024-11-19)1KBR01
Willis Wu is a waiter at the Golden Palace, who sees himself as a background character in a television show. He resents his father who trained his missing older brother in kung fu, and purposely trained Willis to fail as a way of protecting him. After witnessing the kidnapping of a young woman, he becomes convinced that he is destined for something greater. He falls for the detective assigned to the case, Lana Lee, who visits the restaurant and informs her of the kidnapping. Lana recruits him to help take down the gangs in Chinatown and after some digging, reveals that his older brother was working with her unit before he disappeared. Motivated to find out what happened to his brother, Willis agrees to help Lana.
2"Delivery Guy"Ben SinclairEva AndersonNovember 19, 2024 (2024-11-19)1KBR02
3"Tech Guy"Jaffar MahmoodMatt OkumuraNovember 19, 2024 (2024-11-19)1KBR03
4"Kung Fu Guy"John LeeTiffany So & Saba SaghafiNovember 19, 2024 (2024-11-19)1KBR04
5"Chinatown Expert"Alice WuNaiem BouierNovember 19, 2024 (2024-11-19)1KBR05
6"Translator"Stephanie LaingKeiko GreenNovember 19, 2024 (2024-11-19)1KBR06
7"Detective"Pete ChatmonLauren OteroNovember 19, 2024 (2024-11-19)1KBR07
8"Ad Guy"John LeeAlex RussellNovember 19, 2024 (2024-11-19)1KBR08
9"Bad Guy"Anu ValiaEva Anderson & Greg CabreraNovember 19, 2024 (2024-11-19)1KBR09
10"Willis. Willis Wu."Stephanie LaingCharles YuNovember 19, 2024 (2024-11-19)1KBR10

Production

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Development

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Development of a television adaptation of Interior Chinatown began in 2020.[9] Hulu ordered ten episodes of the series in October 2022, when Jimmy O. Yang was announced as the lead and Taika Waititi would direct the pilot episode. The series is created by Charles Yu who also serves as the showrunner.[10]

Casting

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In October 2022, Ronny Chieng and Chloe Bennet joined the cast of the series.[11] In January 2023, Sullivan Jones, Lisa Gilroy, Diana Lin, Archie Kao and Tzi Ma joined the cast, with Ma joining in recurring capacity. [12][6] In February 2023, Lauren Tom joined the cast in recurring capacity.[13] In April 2023, Chris Pang joined the cast in recurring capacity.[8]

Filming

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Principal photography began by February 2023, with location shooting at the Universal Pictures backlot,[14] Chinatown, Los Angeles, New Zealand (Chinese New Zealanders), and Toronto (Chinatowns in Toronto),[15][16] and wrapped prior to August 2023.[17]

Release

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The series premiered on Hulu on November 19, 2024.[1]

Reception

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The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 82% approval rating with an average rating of 6.1/10, based on 17 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Adapting its satirical source material to imperfect but thrilling effect, Interior Chinatown is freewheeling entertainment with plenty to say about Asian-American stereotypes in media."[18] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 67 out of 100 based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[19]

Notes

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  1. ^ Tzi Ma is credited as "Special Guest Star" but is a recurring cast member.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b London, Rob (July 10, 2024). "Jimmy O. Yang and Chloe Bennet Are Trapped in a Procedural in First 'Interior Chinatown' Images". Collider. Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  2. ^ Horton, Adrian (November 19, 2024). "Interior Chinatown review – ambitious, yet tiring, adaptation of Charles Yu's novel". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 19, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Chai, Barbara (November 20, 2024). "In 'Interior Chinatown,' the Sets Have Main Character Energy". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  4. ^ Seitz, Loree (November 21, 2024). "How 'Interior Chinatown' Creator Tackled the Book's Show-Within-a-Show Premise". TheWrap. Archived from the original on November 21, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  5. ^ Walsh, Kevin (April 3, 2019). "'Bloody Angle': The Story of Doyers Street and Chinatown's Odd Alleys". StreetEasy. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Rice, Lynette (January 19, 2023). "'Interior Chinatown': Diana Lin, Archie Kao & Tzi Ma Join Hulu Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  7. ^ Ihnat, Gwen (July 19, 2023). "The cast of Orange Is the New Black: Where are they now?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Sun, Rebecca (April 11, 2023). "'Crazy Rich Asians' Star Chris Pang Joins Hulu's 'Interior Chinatown' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  9. ^ Thorne, Will (October 15, 2020). "Hulu Adapting Charles Yu Novel Interior Chinatown for Television (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on March 20, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  10. ^ Porter, Rick (October 13, 2022). "Interior Chinatown Series a Go at Hulu, Jimmy O. Yang to Star". The Hollywood Reporter. PMRC. Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  11. ^ Rice, Lynette (October 26, 2022). "'Interior Chinatown': Ronny Chieng And Chloe Bennet Join Hulu Series From 20th Television, Charles Yu". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  12. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 17, 2023). "'Interior Chinatown': Sullivan Jones & Lisa Gilroy Join Hulu Series Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  13. ^ Rice, Lynette (February 28, 2023). "'Interior Chinatown' Casts Lauren Tom In Hulu Series Starring Jimmy O. Yang, Directed By Taika Waititi". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  14. ^ Singh, Sartaj (November 19, 2024). "Hulu's Interior Chinatown: All Filming Locations, Explored". The Cinemaholic. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  15. ^ Crimmins, Peter (February 15, 2023). "'Interior Chinatown' is the Free Library of Philadelphia's all-city read". WHYY. Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  16. ^ Bach, Gabby (February 6, 2023). "How-To: Chloe's Bennet's Bob Haircut for "Interior Chinatown"". Beauty Launch Pad. Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  17. ^ Schweitzer, Robyn; Lauren, LaBelle (August 14, 2023). "T-Pain & Jimmy O. Yang Team Up with HelloFresh to Launch New Recipes with Unexpected, Flavorful Twists". Business Wire. Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  18. ^ "Interior Chinatown: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  19. ^ "Interior Chinatown: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
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