Though the last few years have seen various Asian cultures getting more representation on screen, be it the Michelle Yeoh-led Everything Everywhere All at Once or HBO’s adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Sympathizer, Asian-American storytelling is still an area not explored often enough. With Charles Yu’s Interior Chinatown, he not only finally shines a light on this community, but does so in such a uniquely surreal and meta fashion that it often rises above a few of its shortcomings.

Based on Yu’s acclaimed 2020 novel of the same name, Interior Chinatown focuses on Willis Wu, a waiter at a Chinese food restaurant who longs for a more intriguing life while also striving to learn why his brother went missing a decade earlier. When he witnesses a crime, he finds himself drawn into investigating both it and the criminal underground of Chinatown, teaming up with a detective similarly overlooked by her peers to look into it and a string of other crimes. As the investigation continues, though, they find the world they live in isn’t as straightforward as it seems.

The Format-Jumping Storytelling Is Refreshing & Keeps Us Guessing

One of the most compelling aspects of Interior Chinatown is the fantastical world it’s set in, with Willis not only being a waiter but actually the “Generic Asian Man” background actor in a variety of projects, ranging from a Law & Order-style crime drama, which is the primary focus of the story, to a hard seltzer commercial. This proves to be a really engaging way to keep us hooked as the show progresses, as it not only lends to its overall mysterious atmosphere but also to the thematic exploration of racial blindness too often prevalent in the real world.

Whether it’s Willis’ failed attempts to get into the police station to meet with Detective Lana Lee, or Lana having to frequently repeat herself to fellow detectives when her original responses don’t seemingly play into the script she’s meant to be working off of. Much like WandaVision and Everything Everywhere, the shift in formats and tones offers a more surreal twist to the story Yu is trying to tell. Rather than simply watch an Asian-American actor go from project to project and be treated poorly, we’re instead intrigued to see if both Willis and Lana can break the mold and become heroes.

Jimmy O. Yang Shows An Incredible Range In His Performance

Chloe Bennet Is Also A Compelling Counterpart

The other area where Interior Chinatown truly shines is in its ensemble cast, with Jimmy O. Yang in particular nicely showcasing his range of acting skills as Willis. Though he certainly has explored the dramatic genre before, particularly with the Mark Wahlberg-led Patriots Day, he’s arguably exclusively known for his work in the comedy sphere, whether it was his breakout turn in HBO’s Silicon Valley or Netflix’s Space Force. With the Hulu show, Yang gets the chance to deliver on both the serious and comedic fronts, while also displaying some solid fighting skills.

Even while Yang may be at the forefront, Chloe Bennet is a wonderful counterpart as Lana. The first few episodes generally introduce her as a potential love interest for Willis and a no-nonsense detective, but as we spend more time with her, we get to see a better vulnerability from her that draws us further into her arc. It also lends nicely to some of the show’s meta comedy, as she finds herself similarly confused by the boundaries of their world and why neither she nor Willis are able to break through to people.

But even beyond the show’s two leads, Ronny Chieng also proves to be a real delight. Similar to Bennet, the Daily Show veteran is ultimately a little closer to his typical range of performances by largely being focused on the comedy side of things, acting as the joker to Yang’s straight man. Nonetheless, it’s a role he plays well, and Yu’s writing feels different enough from Chieng’s other comedy work to still keep his turn as Willis’ friend Fatty feeling generally fresh.

Interior Chinatown’s Mystery Never Feels As Gripping As Its Concept

The Show Never Finds The Right Balance Between Its Bizarre Atmosphere & Story

Ultimately, while the majority of Interior Chinatown is a thought-provoking approach to Yu’s themes, the show does somewhat falter when it comes to its central mystery. Willis’ search for his brother and how it ties into Lana’s investigation into a variety of deaths around Chinatown evolves at somewhat of a snail’s pace. The answers never feel like they come quickly enough, and the focus is kept a little too heavily on its mind-bending formula.

Much like Marvel’s WandaVision, I found the back-and-forth pull between delivering a compelling mystery and exploration of its central gimmick to be something of a mixed bag. Had it not elected to introduce the mystery at all, Interior Chinatown could have coasted in a similar way to the likes of The Truman Show and Free Guy by doing away with our uncertainty of what world the story’s grounded in. Instead, the story never feels like an effective enough distraction from its concept, which is thankfully captivating enough that, when paired with great performances, makes the show a generally enjoyable ride.

Interior Chinatown begins streaming on Hulu on November 19. The series consists of 10 episodes.

Pros

• The show’s central concept is a wonderfully surreal and atmospheric ride.
• Yu’s writing also nicely targets the lack of better Asian-American representation on screen.
• Jimmy O. Yang showcases a great range in his performance, while Chloe Bennet and Ronny Chieng are excellent supporters.

Cons

• The show’s central mystery is never compelling enough to outshine its central gimmick.