Interior Chinatown premieres November 19 on Hulu.
By Elazar Abrahams
Hulu’s new miniseries Interior Chinatown is an adaptation of Charles Yu’s award-winning novel that’s just as strikingly clever as the self-aware book was. The story follows Willis Wu (Jimmy O. Yang) who navigates a heightened meta-world of a TV show where Asian-American characters are confined to the margins. Throughout the season, Willis transforms from “waiter” into roles like “delivery guy” and “tech guy,” chasing after the elusive label of “kung fu guy.” The ten episode affair pokes fun at tropes and stereotypes and lampoons systemic racism. And yet despite all the creativity, the show falls short of being something truly dazzling.
Yu himself has helmed the screen adaptation of his own work, transplanting the book’s screenplay format into a series that plays with TV conventions. Scenes shift tone and lighting depending on the “genre” Willis and the ensemble are place in, be it a procedural cop show or an action flick. Willis is literally barred from entering spaces where his character “doesn’t belong” by invisible walls. Visually, Interior Chinatown is very inventive, and that is the strongest aspect of what is otherwise a rather tame binge.
Yang plays Willis with a mix of shyness and resolve, making him a relatable protagonist. Chloe Bennet shines as Willis’s detective partner, whose secret backstory adds intrigue, while Ronny Chieng delivers a memorable and unexpectedly funny performance in a smaller role. The cast elevates the material, but the writing doesn’t always match their efforts.
While the first half of the season made available for review offers chuckles and insightful moments, the novelty of the format begins to wear thin. The series rehashes its meta-commentary without adding much new to say, making the pacing feel slow and the narrative meandering. Overall, it feels very underwhelming. Despite touching on heavy themes, the show doesn’t feel as groundbreaking as its premise suggests. Ambitiously playing with the rules of television should produce a much better product than this.
It’s possible Interior Chinatown has yet to play its hand, and is saving bigger swings and surprises for the latter half of the season. But as it stands, the series is just alright.
I give Interior Chinatown a B.
TV and City 