Little America (TV series)

Did You Know?

• The series looks to "go beyond the headlines to look at the funny, romantic, heartfelt, inspiring and unexpected lives of immigrants in America."
• The eighth episode of the first season, "The Son," is about a gay asylum seeker from Syria.

Production

Apple began developing a television series based on the true stories collection "Little America" from Epic Magazine in February 2018. Lee Eisenberg, Kumail Nanjiani, and Emily V. Gordon wrote the series and executive produced alongside Sian Heder, Alan Yang, Joshuah Bearman, and Joshua Davis; Arthur Spector served as co-executive producer. Lee Eisenberg and Sian Heder were showrunners. Universal Television was among the production companies. Apple ordered the series in June 2018. Filming started in New Jersey in early 2019, but the eighth episode of the first season, "The Son," was shot in Quebec because Executive Order 13780 prevented some actors from entering the United States. The series was renewed for a second season in December 2019, which premiered on December 9, 2022, with eight episodes.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a 95% approval rating from 37 reviews, with an average rating of 8.92/10; the critics' consensus calls it "joyous, heartfelt, and very human." The second season has a 100% approval rating based on 10 reviews. Metacritic gives the series a score of 85 out of 100, indicating universal acclaim. Hannah Giorgis of The Atlantic wrote that the first season "leads with a clear investment in the kinds of people often relegated to the background of other shows." Brian Lowry of CNN noted the stories are "quirky yet resonant, emotional and relatable." For the second season, Craig Matheson of The Sydney Morning Herald described the episodes as having "modest but enduring insight and empathy," while Clint Worthington of RogerEbert.com called the series "one of the streamer's greatest secret weapons."