Interior Chinatown (TV series) explained

Genre:Crime drama
Showrunner:Charles Yu
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:1
Num Episodes:10
Runtime:34–47 minutes
Network:Hulu

Interior Chinatown (stylized onscreen as INT. CHINATOWN) is an American crime drama television series created by showrunner Charles Yu based on his 2020 novel of the same name. The series stars Jimmy O. Yang as a waiter in Chinatown who is thrust into the spotlight after witnessing a crime. Produced by 20th Television, the series premiered on Hulu on November 19, 2024.

Premise

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.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Production

Development

Development of a television adaptation of Interior Chinatown began in 2020. 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.

Casting

In October 2022, Ronny Chieng and Chloe Bennet joined the cast of the series.[2] In January 2023, Sullivan Jones, Lisa Gilroy, Diana Lin, Archie Kao and Tzi Ma joined the cast, with Ma joining in recurring capacity. [3] [4] In February 2023, Lauren Tom joined the cast in recurring capacity.[5] In April 2023, Chris Pang joined the cast in recurring capacity.

Filming

Principal photography began by February 2023, with location shooting at the Universal Pictures backlot,[6] Chinatown, Los Angeles, New Zealand (Chinese New Zealanders), and Toronto (Chinatowns in Toronto),[7] [8] and wrapped prior to August 2023.[9]

Golden Palace Restaurant setting[10] is inspired by the real-life Doyers Street and the real-life Doyers Street tunnels[11] in Manhattan’s Chinatown.

Release

The series premiered on Hulu on November 19, 2024.

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 89% approval rating with an average rating of 6.9/10, based on 27 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."[12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 67 out of 100 based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[13]

Notes and References

  1. The cast of Orange Is the New Black: Where are they now? . July 19, 2023 . . Ihnat . Gwen . July 21, 2024.
  2. Web site: 'Interior Chinatown': Ronny Chieng And Chloe Bennet Join Hulu Series From 20th Television, Charles Yu. Deadline Hollywood. Lynette. Rice. October 26, 2022. November 10, 2023.
  3. Web site: 'Interior Chinatown': Sullivan Jones & Lisa Gilroy Join Hulu Series Cast. Deadline Hollywood. Nellie. Andreeva. January 17, 2023. November 10, 2023. March 27, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230327060454/https://deadline.com/2023/01/interior-chinatown-sullivan-jones-lisa-gilroy-cast-hulu-series-cast-1235221906/. live.
  4. Web site: 'Interior Chinatown': Diana Lin, Archie Kao & Tzi Ma Join Hulu Series. Deadline Hollywood. Lynette. Rice. January 19, 2023. November 10, 2023. November 10, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231110132056/https://deadline.com/2023/01/interior-chinatown-diana-lin-archie-kao-tzi-ma-join-hulu-series-1235226844/. live.
  5. Web site: 'Interior Chinatown' Casts Lauren Tom In Hulu Series Starring Jimmy O. Yang, Directed By Taika Waititi. Deadline Hollywood. Lynette. Rice. February 28, 2023. November 10, 2023. August 20, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240820225707/https://deadline.com/2023/02/interior-chinatown-casts-lauren-tom-hulu-series-jimmy-o-yang-1235274917/. live.
  6. Web site: Singh . Sartaj . Hulu's Interior Chinatown: All Filming Locations, Explored . The Cinemaholic . 20 November 2024 . 19 November 2024.
  7. Web site: 'Interior Chinatown' is the Free Library of Philadelphia's all-city read. WHYY. Peter. Crimmins. February 15, 2023. November 10, 2023. November 10, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231110132105/https://whyy.org/articles/one-book-one-philadelphia-interior-chinatown-charles-yu/. live.
  8. Web site: How-To: Chloe's Bennet's Bob Haircut for "Interior Chinatown". Beauty Launch Pad. Gabby. Bach. February 6, 2023. November 10, 2023. November 10, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231110132055/https://www.beautylaunchpad.com/cut/article/22684764/howto-chloes-bennets-bob-haircut-for-interior-chinatown. live.
  9. Web site: T-Pain & Jimmy O. Yang Team Up with HelloFresh to Launch New Recipes with Unexpected, Flavorful Twists . August 14, 2023 . . Schweitzer . Robyn . Lauren . LaBelle . July 21, 2024 . August 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240820225717/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230814412593/en/T-Pain-Jimmy-O.-Yang-Team-Up-with-HelloFresh-to-Launch-New-Recipes-with-Unexpected-Flavorful-Twists . live .
  10. News: Chai . Barbara . 20 Nov 2024 . In ‘Interior Chinatown,’ the Sets Have Main Character Energy . https://archive.today/20241120125141/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/20/arts/television/interior-chinatown-sets.html . 20 Nov 2024 . 21 November 2024 . The New York Times.
  11. Web site: Walsh . Kevin . 3 April 2019 . 'Bloody Angle': The Story of Doyers Street and Chinatown's Odd Alleys . https://web.archive.org/web/20190407141632/https://streeteasy.com/blog/doyers-street-nyc-chinatown-alleys/ . 2019-04-07 . 21 November 2024 . StreetEasy.
  12. interior_chinatown. Interior Chinatown. tv. 1. November 29, 2024. y.
  13. interior-chinatown. Interior Chinatown. tv. 1. November 17, 2024. y.

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