American Born Chinese | Official Trailer | Disney+

 ABC does falter, though, by never fully depicting the state of this uprising that Wei-Chen and the Monkey King keep referring to. The rebellion is described loosely, and the show doesn’t really explain the motives of the Bull Demon. (Instead, we get a midpoint episode set in the clouds, featuring an assortment of gods, that feels jammed into the narrative.) It leads to low stakes even though it’s a fight for preserving literal Heaven and Earth. American Born Chinese also, unfortunately, succumbs to superhero-level fare in its climax (think: zapping, flashing lights in the sky as characters battle it out and a portal threatens to eat everyone whole).

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The emotional stakes actually feel higher with Jin’s parents. Christine (Yeo Yann Yann) and Simon (Chin Han) deal with years of simmering tension, mainly because they solemnly adapted to a new country and focused on raising their son. Now, she wants more out of her existence, and he can’t even seem to ask for a promotion at work. Their plot is grounded in the reality of immigrant life and being pulled between two worlds. A similar thread is explored in Quan’s seemingly separate storyline. He plays a former ’90s actor whose “iconic” (read: hackneyed) sitcom character Freddy Wong haunts him to this day. His catchphrase, “What could go Wong?” is more of a punchline. Through this arc, ABC examines how Hollywood depicted Asians on screen in a way that mirrors Quan’s real-life journey. And in his way, Freddy becomes a source of inspiration for Jin in a crucial moment.

Thanks to these sincere moments, American Born Chinese rises above its faults to become a wholesome TV show that goes beyond stereotypes. It doesn’t necessarily comment on them head-on but it does find a way to address them subtly as Jin strives to find his place in his world. The end result is a vibrant, inclusive, and enlightening season of TV.

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American Born Chinese premieres May 24 on Disney+