American Born Chinese, on Disney+
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This 2023 series is based on a 2006 graphic novel, which I've never read. I really wanted to like the series a lot more than I did. And to be clear, I did like it. Kind of. Just not as much as I hoped I would. I can't really point to anything wrong with the series. It's all good. Maybe I just couldn't really connect with the balance between the ordinary and the magical sides of the story. I kind of feel like each one detracts from the other, but maybe that's just me. It's entirely possible that some people will feel each aspect of the story enhances the other. And there's lots of cool wuxia-style martial arts.

Anyway, the story is inspired by the classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West" (which I haven't read, but I've seen other things based on it). In the Chinese version of Heaven, there's a boy named Wei-Chen, who is the son of Sun Wukong, aka the Monkey King. There's a guy called the Bull Demon who wants to lead an uprising against the Jade Emperor (James Hong). Wei-Chen has a dream that he can be stopped by finding the Fourth Scroll on Earth, so he steals his father's magical staff and goes there, disguised as an ordinary teenager. He befriends another boy named Jin Wang, who he believes is meant to be his guide to find the scroll. Jin isn't very comfortable with any of this, and he has his own stuff going on. There's some trouble brewing between his parents, Christine and Simon. And he's had a falling out with his best friend, Anuj. And he's interested in a girl named Amelia. And he wants to join his school's soccer team. Meanwhile, Wei-Chen receives some support from the Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin (Michelle Yeoh).

Meanwhile, there's a former actor named Jamie Yao (Ke Huy Quan), who used to star in a sitcom called "Beyond Repair", but his character, Freddy Wong, was a crass stereotype with a silly catchphrase. The show has attained renewed popularity online, and inspires a lot of memes. Even Jin becomes the subject of such a meme, at one point. For the most part, Jamie's part of the story seems disconnected from the rest of the story, but it plays a role in a dream Jin has in the season finale. And I guess it shares some thematic elements with Jin and his parents' desire to fit in, in America.

I don't want to say how the season ends, exactly, but the main story is resolved. It didn't make much sense to me, but I think it would have made more sense if the story were continued with a second season. There's a strong hook for another season, but unfortunately, the show was canceled. As much trouble as I had getting into the series, I really wish it would have been renewed. Now there are just plot threads that will forever be left dangling (unless some other platform picks up the series, but I'm not holding my breath). I liked all the characters well enough, and I liked the various aspects of the story well enough. Again, I really couldn't say for sure why I didn't like the show more than I did. But it was okay, anyway.