Cancelled: American Born Chinese
Photo Credit: Disney
It was announced early January 2024 that Season 2 of American Born Chinese has been cancelled on Disney+. The show, based off a 2006 graphic novel of the same name was a refreshing take on pre-teen action/adventure series. It blended comedy, school normalcy, and superpowers all in a chaotic metaverse-type show. It played off motifs seen in martial arts movies and comic books or MCU-like action sequences.
To hear that the show was cancelled is extremely disappointing. I wrote a review for the first season, touting it as “unapologetically Asian.” Now here I am, eating my own words. Where I was going to applaud the studio for investing and showcasing a show that was so “unapologetically Asian,” here I am with them not continuing with the show.
We know how this works. Studios look not only on the show’s streaming success but the commercial success that can come as a result of the show: licensing, merchandise, books, spinoffs. Not only did the viewership not justify creating a second season, without that ability to ‘commercialize’ the show, it might not be lucrative for the Mouse; I get that.
With the first season ending on a cliff-hanger, I am also disappointed I have to wait even longer to find out what happens. Well, maybe it is a pause of Jin’s story for now, but I hope that we can see more star-power and fantastic story telling and Asian representation soon.