Representation Matters: Looking forward to watching 'Expats' and 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'

'ExPats' will center on three women living in turbulent Hong Kong.

Two new television offerings with Asian American themes and characters may make viewers forget the loss of two favorite series, Warrior and American Born Chinese.

Max's Warrior and Disney's American Born Chinese were canceled for poor ratings. Although popular with Asian American audiences for depicting AsAm stories rarely seen on American TV, they apparently failed to gain a enough of an audience to satisfy the studios.

However, coming up early this year are two new productions that will hopefully fill the void and present Asian Americans in all their complexity beyond the ordinary simple stereotypes portrayed in the simplistic mindset of American media.

Amazon's Expats and Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender will introduce Asian American storylines from opposite ends of the entertainment spectrum.

The more "serious" of the two, Expats is a heavyweight drama starring A-lister Nicole Kidman, will debut today. Set against the complex tapestry of Hong Kong residents, Expats depicts a multifaceted group of women after a single encounter sets off a chain of life-altering events that leaves everyone navigating the intricate balance between blame and accountability.

It is based on Yasmin Y.K. Lee’s 2016 novel “Expatriates,” the six-episode Expats is being produced by Kidman and directed by Lulu Wang, whose debut film, The Farewell, won a Golden Globe for best "Foreign Language" film, a controversial distinction since it was an Asian American motion picture.

While the main storyline is about how three women handle grief after a family tragedy. Besides Kidman, who plays Margaret, she shares the story with Sarayu Blu portraying Hilary, an Indian American expat, and Ji-young Yoo, who plays Mercy, a 20-something Korean American.

The personal tragedy affecting the women is set in Hong Kong as it experiences the social and political unrest 2016's "Umbrella Revolution."

What really intrigues me, though, the Downstairs, Upstairs setting of Episode 5 as the series explores Hong Kong's underbelly, made up mostly by Filipino immigrant workers hired to cater to the upper echelons of Hong Kong society as maids, nanny's and cooks.

Wang contrasts the fancy parties and cold modernity of the rich, "all navigating their Western guilt over the maids, cooks, and babysitters, euphemistically called 'helpers') hired to support their lifestyle.

Episode 5's dtour makes sense because the Filipinos are expatriates, too. "Margaret’s nanny Essie (Ruby Ruiz) is a woman torn between her loyalty to her grieving employers and her family back in the Philippines urging her to retire and come back home. Hilary’s “helper” Puri (a radiant Amelyn Pardenilla) finds herself performing emotional labor for her employer in the wake of her crumbling marriage," writes  RogerEbert.com.

The latest incarnation of Avatar: The Last Airbender will feature an all Asian American cast.

It will be interesting to see if Avatar: The Last Airbender will succeed where American Born Chinese failed. Like ABC, Airbender will take the audience into a fantasy world peopled by Asians where the elements of fire, water and air can be controlled by Avatars.

This is not the first time the original anime story based on the comic book was transformed into live-action. Anime fans will remember (or willfully forget) the disastrous whitewashed 2010 M. Night Shyamalan flop? This 8-episode series will debut Feb. 22.

The synopsis offered by Netflix follows:

“Water. Earth. Fire. Air. The four nations once lived in harmony, with the Avatar, master of all four elements, keeping peace between them. But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked and wiped out the Air Nomads, the first step taken by the firebenders towards conquering the world. With the current incarnation of the Avatar yet to emerge, the world has lost hope. But like a light in the darkness, hope springs forth when Aang, a young Air Nomad — and the last of his kind — reawakens to take his rightful place as the next Avatar. Alongside his newfound friends Sokka and Katara, siblings and members of the Southern Water Tribe, Aang embarks on a fantastical, action-packed quest to save the world and fight back against the fearsome onslaught of Fire Lord Ozai. But with a driven Crown Prince Zuko determined to capture them, it won’t be an easy task.They’ll need the help of the many allies and colorful characters they meet along the way.”

To the relief of its legion of fans, this current version of Airbender will stay truer to its roots by using Asian American actors in the main roles. Tthe production is led by 14-year-old Gordon Comier as Aang, the Avatar who can control all four elements. 

Aang’s two best friends, Sokka and Katara, will be played by Ian Ousley and Kiawentiio, respectively. The beloved anti-hero Fire Nation Crown Prince Zuko, who was voiced by Filipino American actor Dante Basco in the animated version, will be played by 22-year-old Dallas Liu.

The three seasons of Warrior , which featured some of the best action choreography, was picked up by Netflix and there is hope that the increased viewership of the series will prompt more stories of the historical drama inspired by the late martial arts icon Bruce Lee.

American Born Chinese, from the perspective of a contemporary Chinese American, was so relatable to Asian Americans, it's too bad Disney didn't have the patience to  let the series find its audience much like Never Have I Ever was able to do and by growing its viewership an Indian American  teenager navigate between two cultures. 

Expats and Avatar: The Last Airbender will hopefully carry on covering a wide spectrum of emotions and stories as Hollywood and North American audiences discover the diverse worlds beyond the usual black and white paradime and beyond a one-and-done series. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the blog Views From the Edge.