- Network: HULU
- Series Premiere Date: Nov 19, 2024
Critic Reviews
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It’s a provocative and at times genuinely entertaining exploration of how the stories we’ve been told shape how we think – the irony so well layered that, ironically, it gets in the way of itself.
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“Interior Chinatown” is never anything less than interesting, but it also never gives the sense that it has fully thought through the relationship between its formal/technical choices and content. Perhaps the back half of the miniseries will answer some of these questions. But, halfway through, it feels under-realized.
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If you must, watch for the little stuff: Some good performances (Chieng, Yang, Bennet), some funny lines, a clever kicker and that compelling premise. A shame all the rest is a mess.
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But by delaying the reveal, “Interior Chinatown” puts off some substance in favor of wheel-spinning that’s not as engaging in practice as an abstract idea. Stuck between fable and character drama, “Interior Chinatown” ends up in the same no-man’s-land as its protagonist.
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Moments of fleeting poignancy, as in a subplot involving the rocky but essentially caring relationship between Willis’ aging parents, Lily (Diana Lin) and Joe (Tzi Ma), are undermined by a script that’s far more interested in chasing down tropes to shatter than it is in exploring the unique topography of its characters’ souls.