24/20

Early in the series, Willis (Jimmy O

Narrative

Willis Wu, a background actor on a procedural crime series called Black and White. Relegated to the background, Willis pretends to do his job on screen, waiting tables and dreaming of a world beyond Chinatown. When he inadvertently witnesses a crime, Willis begins to unravel a crime ring in Chinatown and discovers what it’s hiding… Read more. Yang), Fatty (Ronny Chieng), and Carl (Chau Long) see Detective Lana Lee (Chloe Bennet) on TV and debate her possible ethnicity: Carl says, “She looks Thai,” while Fatty argues, “Dude, she’s definitely Korean.

Know your Asians” Bennet is actually the child of a white mother and a Chinese father

Early in her acting career, she changed her last name from Wang to Bennet (her father’s first name) after encountering casting agents who told her they couldn’t give her roles as Asian or Asian-American characters, but her name also kept her from considering white characters. Interior Chinatown is a brilliant but understated reflection of the world—a mirror that exposes how society often judges people by their cover. The show captures this poignantly with the scene where Willis Wu can’t enter the police station until he proves his worth by delivering food. It’s a powerful metaphor: Sometimes, if you don’t fit the mold, you have to prove your worth in the most degrading or unexpected ways just to get your foot in the door. The locked doors of the police station represent the obstacles faced by those who don’t fit into the “majority.” While the show centers on the Asian Pacific Islander (API) community and the stereotypical roles Hollywood has long relegated them to (extras, kung fu fighters), it forces viewers to confront larger questions.

It makes you wonder: Am I complicit in perpetuating these stereotypes?

Am I limiting others, or even myself, because of what I assume their worth is? It’s not just about the representation of API people; it’s about how society as a whole undervalues ​​anyone who doesn’t fit neatly into its preferred narrative. The show can be confusing if you don’t grasp its satirical element up front. But for me, knowing the context of Charles Yu’s original book helped it stand out. The production team does an incredible job of balancing satire with sincerity, blurring the line between real life and Hollywood’s over-the-top “procedural” format.

But for Bennett, it was about creating space for herself to pursue her dreams

They cleverly use contrasting visuals and distinct camerawork to draw you into different headspaces—the glossy expectations of Hollywood versus the harsher reality of life. The involvement of Chloe Bennet (real name Chloe Wang) ties into the show’s themes on a deeply personal level. She changed her last name to navigate Hollywood, stuck in the impossible middle ground between not being “Asian enough” or “white enough” for casting directors. It’s a decision that sparks debate—was it an act of survival, assimilation, or betrayal? This theme echoes in one of the show’s most poignant scenes, where Lana is told, “You’ll never fully understand.

Interior Chinatown doesn’t just ask us to look at the system; it forces us to look at ourselves

You’re biracial.” It’s a crushing acknowledgement of the barriers that persist, even when you try to bridge the divides. Lana’s story shows how identity can be both a strength and a hindrance, and the line serves as a painful reminder of the walls society creates, both externally and internally. Whether it’s Willis Wu at the police station door or Lana trying to connect in a world that sees her as neither this nor that, the show unflinchingly depicts the struggle to belong.