Inner Chinatowna “meta” detective series in which a struggling Asian waiter becomes the unlikely hero of a police procedural-style criminal conspiracy satirizes the stereotypical treatment of minorities in Hollywood – while nodding to the industry’s belated progress .

The new show, which launched on Disney+ on November 19, is based on a novel by American author Charles Yu, who is of Taiwanese descent.

Yu’s 2020 bestseller offered a humorous takedown of racism in American society through the adventures of Willis Wu, a Hollywood extra who plays roles like “Background Oriental Male” but dreams of one day being promoted to ” Kung Fu Guy”.

Yu created the television series and serves as its executive producer.

“I grew up watching TV in the 80s and 90s and I just never saw Asians on TV. It’s like it doesn’t exist,” he said at a news conference in July.