The novel Interior Chinatown was published by Charles Yu in January 2020, and won the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction. In November 2024, Hulu aired a ten-episode drama series based on the book, and it captures reality inside fiction with a strange twist that will leave you speechless. Here’s why you should watch.

In the first episode, Willis Wu, played by Jimmy O. Yang, questions his identity and how he fits in his society. From the start, this relatable topic creates a sense of unity with viewers. Willis, a waiter at the fictional Chinatown restaurant, Golden Palace, gets caught up as a witness in a crime and realizes he can become a hero in his strange city and leave his monotonous life.

As the episodes proceed, topics like identity, family tension, a dark childhood backstory, and eventually, a cop show called Black & White: Impossible Crimes Unit within the actual series of Interior Chinatown are tackled. Putting the concept of attempting to be in the spotlight of a show within the show was a risky choice by writers as it may confuse the audience and create a superfluous plot.

Joel Keller, a writer from Decider, says, “It’s hard to see that concept being anything but distracting, so we hope it’s the former.” In addition to the bizarre storyline, the lighting changes in certain scenes of the episodes, indicating how a fictional world collides with the eerie and mysterious reality.

Overall, the series shares a similar structure with WandaVision (2021), The Truman Show (1998), and The Matrix (1999), all of which portray characters trapped in a TV show or an alternate reality.

The performances of Jimmy O. Yang and his co-star, Chloe Bennet, are spectacular, and the cop show-within-the-show is a genius concept for the plot. The suspenseful ups and downs and the lives of each character engage viewers. The best is the genre: a mix of crime, comedy, action, drama, sci-fi, and a hint of romance.

With the limited representation of Asian Americans in Hollywood, Interior Chinatown accurately portrays the struggle for minorities in the United States to be seen and have equal opportunities in the industry. “Interior Chinatown has a lot to say, and from voices, we don’t hear enough,” writes Tara Ariano from Cracked.com.

Consider this your sign to stream an unforgettable show.