American Born Chinese (TV series)
A teen navigates high school and Chinese mythology.
American Born Chinese is an American fantasy action comedy television sitcom created by Kelvin Yu for Disney+. Based on the 2006 graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang, it follows a tenth-grader thrust into a battle between mythical Chinese gods. The series premiered on Disney+ on May 24, 2023, and was canceled after one season in January 2024.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Fantasy; Action comedy
- Creator
- Kelvin Yu
- Based on
- American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang
- Starring
- Ben Wang
- Yeo Yann Yann
- Chin Han
- Ke Huy Quan
- Jimmy Liu
- Sydney Taylor
- Daniel Wu
- Michelle Yeoh
- Music
- Wendy Wang
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English; Mandarin
- Seasons
- 1
Facts from the source article.
Premise
When exchange student Wei-Chen arrives, Jin feels embarrassed by Wei-Chen's loud and open nature. Wei-Chen is actually the son of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, who stole his father's magical staff after a dream about a mythical Fourth Scroll that could stop an uprising against Heaven. The dream told him an ordinary teenager would help him, and he believes Jin is that teenager, searching for the scroll in California.
Production
Gene Luen Yang's graphic novel adapted the Chinese classic Journey to the West, and series creator Kelvin Yu considered its characters comparable to Disney legends. Yang drew from his own experiences as a Chinese American teenager in 1990s middle America. The graphic novel became landmark literature for Asian American millennials upon its 2006 publication. Hollywood first approached Yang in 2007, but interest was tied to promoting Chinese properties before the 2008 Summer Olympics. Yang later met Fresh Off the Boat producer Melvin Mar, who introduced him to Kelvin Yu. Yu presented ideas for expanding the story for a new generation. On October 4, 2021, Disney+ ordered the adaptation straight to series with Destin Daniel Cretton attached to direct. Yu and his brother Charles Yu were announced as writers. Asian-American fashion designers Prabal Gurung and Phillip Lim joined in April 2022 to work with costume designer Joy Cretton. In May 2022, Lucy Liu revealed she had been added as a director. Melvin Mar, Kelvin Yu, and Gene Luen Yang served as executive producers. In February 2022, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Wang, Yeo Yann Yann, Chin Han, Daniel Wu, Ke Huy Quan, Jim Liu, and Sydney Taylor were cast. Stephanie Hsu joined in May as Shiji Niangniang, with Poppy Liu added in June. The recurring cast was announced in February 2023. Disney+ canceled the series on January 5, 2024.
Release
American Born Chinese premiered at South by Southwest on March 15, 2023, with the first two episodes screening at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas. Cast and executive producers attended. The series debuted on Disney+ on May 24, 2023, and also streamed on Hulu, The Roku Channel, and YouTube TV in the United States, with a broadcast on ABC on June 24, 2023. An early screening was held at the White House, hosted by Joe Biden.
Reception
On May 4, 2023, Screen Rant reported that American Born Chinese recorded over 12.2 million attention signals online and ranked fifth on Facebook and YouTube for engagement among May 2023 releases, per Diesel Labs data. Rotten Tomatoes reported a 94% approval rating with an average rating of 7.4/10 based on 53 critic reviews, with a consensus calling it a deeply relatable coming-of-age story. Metacritic assigned a score of 73 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews. Susana Polo of Polygon praised the show's understanding of keeping the spirit of the story while adapting it for a new medium and audience, complimenting the cast performances. Joel Keller of Decider enjoyed the earthly story and action sequences despite initial difficulty following the Heavenly Realm. Mike Hale of The New York Times found it easy to watch but also easy not to watch, noting its familiar charm. Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly gave it an A−, calling it an inviting blend of coming-of-age humor and martial-arts action. William Quant of IGN gave it an 8 out of 10, calling it a fun, bold reimagining. Kelly Lawler of USA Today gave it 3 out of 4 stars, describing it as a cuddly, Disneyfied version of supernatural teen dramas.
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