Season 1

American Born Chinese - Season 1

(2023)

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Synopsis

The challenges Jin Wang faces regarding his cultural identity and isolation become the catalyst for his mystical adventures.

Jin Wang, an angsty teenager, is grappling with difficulties in his personal and academic life. He is finding it hard to reconcile the cultural differences between his parents' generation and his own which is causing friction within his family and making him feel detached from his Chinese heritage. Being just one of three Asian students at his new school, Jin feels even more secluded. But his life undergoes an unforeseen transformation when he encounters a foreign exchange student and gets swept up in a mythical conflict among the Chinese gods.

Streaming, rent, or buy American Born Chinese – Season 1:

Currently you are able to watch "American Born Chinese - Season 1" streaming on Disney Plus.

8 Episodes

What to know

Disney+ adaptation of the 2006 graphic novel features Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh as mythical Goddess

American Born Chinese season 1 is the first season for Disney+’s action-comedy TV series created by Kelvin Yu. The series is an adaptation of Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel also titled American Born Chinese which was released in 2006. Yu, a writer and executive producer on the widely popular animated show Bob's Burgers, boasts an impressive writing career. He won the 2016 Annie Award for co-writing the episode "The Hauntening" with Steven Davis and has collaborated with his brother, Charles Yu, on writing episodes for American Born Chinese.

The director and executive producer of the show is Destin Daniel Cretton with Lucy Liu guest directing. The costume design for the series is being handled by Asian-American designers Prabal Gurung and Phillip Lim along with Joy Cretton, who previously worked on the costume design for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

American Born Chinese stars award-winning actress Michelle Yeoh as the mythical Chinese Goddess, Guanyin. She is joined by her Everything, Everywhere All At Once costars, Stephanie Hsu, who portrays another Goddess named Shiji Niangniang, and fellow Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan as Freddy Wong. Ben Wang plays the lead role of Jin Wang while Jim Liu stars as Wei-Chen, the new student whose arrival triggers the story's events. Other well-known figures from Chinese mythology, such as Hong Huifang as the Nine-tailed fox and Poppy Liu as Princess Iron Fan, also appear in the series. Additionally, Yeo Yann Yann, Chin Han, Daniel Wu, and Sydney Taylor complete the cast.

Production 

October 3, 2021

Disney+ has adapted Gene Luen Yang's graphic novel into a TV show with Charles and Kelvin Yu serving as writers and Destin Daniel Cretton as the director. (Source: Deadline)

February 6, 2022

The initial cast for the series was announced to include Michelle Yeoh, Chin Han, Yeo Yann Yann, and Daniel Wu. (Source: Deadline)

February 7, 2022

Production on American Born Chinese began in Los Angeles. (Source: Instagram)

April 27, 2022

The costume design for the series will be handled by Prabal Gurung and Phillip Lim. (Source: Deadline)

May 9, 2022

Stephanie Hsu has been officially announced to portray the character of Shiji Niangniang in the series. (Source: Variety)

July 5, 2022

Filming officially concludes on the series. (Source: Instagram)

September 9, 2022

During D23, an exclusive featurette was shown, which was later released online. (Source: Collider)

February 10, 2023

A teaser trailer has been unveiled featuring the intriguing guest stars of the show and offering a glimpse into the mystical universe of the series. (Source: Collider)

March 12, 2023

In a new 30-second teaser, the official release date of May 24, 2023 was confirmed. (Source: Collider)

April 24, 2023

The action-packed fantasy series American Born Chinese released its official trailer which shows the first encounter between the two teenagers that sets off the chain of events in the story. (Source: The Playlist)

May 24, 2023

American Born Chinese season 1 premiered on Disney+.     

Genres

Action & Adventure, Comedy, Science-Fiction, Fantasy

Runtime

34min

Cast

Yann Yann Yeo
Christine Wang
Chin Han
Simon Wang
Daniel Wu
Sun Wukong / The Monkey King
Ke Huy Quan
Freddy Wong
Jim Liu
Wei-Chen
Ben Wang
Jin Wang
Poppy Liu
Princesse Iron Fan
Stephanie Hsu
Shiji Niangniang