Interior Chinatown

Ok so I'm like a guy who casually watches television and comes on here to look at trivia and some reviews. I never thought I had to come on here and make a review but for this show I'm happy to. This is a show for the people that are more akin to a Rick and Morty with the way if you watch from afar it'll look like total chaos and no plot but if you try to watch and look for the little things in the direction, dialogue, and the music choices you'll possibly see the brilliance that was made into this show. I need season 2. All I ask is more marketing so people can see. Well all I can say now is be nice to people and be nice to yourself have a good one.

I'm not saying you have to be super intelligent to follow and enjoy this offbeat spectacular production but what I do believe though for inquisitive people searching for twists that add up and not the run of the mill entertainment there's proble no chance you wouldn't enjoy "Interior Chinatown". This being about my 250th review I've only given a 9 or higher about 35 times throughout my decade of reviews on IMDB which to me says a lot in it's self. If your unaware of the Hollywood era in TV/ Movies we currently are closing out of it's the Multiple dimensions era but what's so fascinating about this show it truly succeeded blending reality and the alternative so uniquely by squarely showing our inner anxieties, life regrets and persinal failures or ambitions so clear without pause you have no choice but to get fully swept into such a funny far out intricately woven story that turns out to be one of the truest tales ever told.. Highmarks all around Acting, Directing, Set design and casting but a super chef's kiss to the teleplay screenwriters for this outstanding idea perfectly fleshed out. BRAVO.

I understand the original book was a reaction to the author's perception that East Asian characters on TV were flat and generic. That message translates to this show but is definitely not preachy or woke. In fact there's a lot of humour.

Although Willis Wu is the principal character, I think a lot of the entertainment values come from the supporting ensemble.

Green and Turner, the uber-stereotyped buddy cops who started to question whether crimes were solving themselves. Willis parents given depth as a later life crisis couple mourning the death of Willis older brother.

The tricks ( no spoiler) Willis uses to penetrate the precinct station were hilarious. Ditto the fun poked at police forensics as they appear on TV.

All round a good show.

It's a mystery, you have to watch it to learn more.

This is a show that goes against the grain in a way that can be a bit uncomfortable or eve disservice the plot at times. I can't say it's beautiful or perfect, but there are fantastic qualities to it. The acting is fantastic, the actors change their quality and style of acting dependent on the genres of each scene, which switch between parody and existential mystery constantly. The style of directing, camerawork, writing/dialogue, and even color grading change depending on which type of cop procedural any one scene is parodying, though the majority target the more generic slew of bland, low budget, blue tinged cop TV.

It can feel cheesy at times, the visual effects/direction of some scenes come across as weak and distracting, some of the b-plots aren't particularly engaging and seem to conflict with the tone of the show, and sometimes some of the jokes or plot points are a bit obvious before they happen. The positives do a lot to make it still a fun watch, but they don't really go much of anywhere.

The chemistry between the leads is very high, the comedy lands well for anyone who's slogged through a dumb police procedural, the characters are fun to watch on screen. It's a parody of police dramas, a police drama, a period piece, a touching family story, a coming of age adventure, and an existential allegory, but the end result is less than the sum of its parts, no matter how nice those parts are.

The main thing though, is that it sacrifices it's satisfaction and entertainment value to serve its many interwoven, painfully obvious allegories. It was made to be and end somewhat uncomfortably and unsatisfactory on purpose, to serve a point, but that point was beaten so far to death over the course of the show that this was just... unnecessary. And at the cost of enjoying the thing I'm watching? Wasteful.

It's tough to describe this show, which is probably why I feel like all the descriptions that I've read don't quite seem to fit. The way it plays with its premise, it's rather ambiguous as to how the "show within the show" really works: there's reality mixed with television, seriousness mixed with absurdity. The lines are often blurred, which is a strength. It can be a little confusing, but it's one of those premises where sometimes you just have to stop trying to overthink and enjoy it for what it is. They do a good job of easing into the concept and keeping the logic consistent. The writing is very good, the humor is abundant, and the acting is great. This is a great cast, and no character goes to waste. Good pacing, good direction. The episodes fly by. I can see why this might not be for some, but for me it's one of the best new shows I've seen in a long time.