American Born Chinese refuses to be canceled by Disney, and is looking for a new home
Some shows are worth fighting for.
Sometimes it takes more than a great cast and premise to help a show find an audience. American Born Chinese, which included the timeless Michelle Yeoh and a resurgent Ke Huy Quan among its star-studded cast, has seen its last days on Disney+ after the studio declined to greenlight a second season. However, the producers don’t appear willing to let the show die just yet.
According to a report by Variety, Disney executives saw plenty of promise for the show but the viewership simply wasn’t there to justify bringing it back for more episodes. The producers have said that they plan to shop the show to other outlets, following in the footsteps of series like Lucifer and Warrior, which jumped to Netflix after they were dropped by their previous networks.
It is disappointing that American Born Chinese couldn’t find the audience numbers that Disney was looking for because it got excellent reviews, most of which praised the chemistry between lead duo Ben Wang and Jimmy Liu. Its pacing had issues at points but that is true of just about any first season of a TV show. The potential is certainly there for more from the show.
American Born Chinese is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang, who also served as executive producer on the series. It follows “the trials and tribulations of a regular American teenager whose life is forever changed when he befriends the son of a mythical god.” Because high school isn’t complicated enough without throwing divine intervention into the mix.
Right now, we’ll have to simply wait and see if this is the last time we’ll see American Born Chinese on our TV screens or if the producers will convince another streaming service to give the show a second chance.
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