7.836 minSeason 1 • Episode 10
LatestWillis tries to write his own ending.
Willis Wu, a background character trapped in a police procedural, tries to find his way into the larger story–and along the way discovers secrets about the strange world he inhabits and his family's buried history.
Writing
Charles Yu adapting his own novel with surgical precision.
Acting
Jimmy O. Yang finally gets to be devastating, not just funny.
Direction
TV grammar that weaponizes the language of procedurals.
Creator
Charles Yu
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Charles Yu wrote the novel while working as a lawyer, using lunch breaks to explore his own feelings of invisibility in Hollywood rooms.
The 'Generic Asian Man' role directly mirrors how Hollywood casting databases literally used to categorize Asian actors—Yu saw his father's generation reduced to 'Background Oriental Male.'
US
