Nora from the Queens - TV Series

nora from the queens

THE SERIES

Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens is an American comedy television series, first aired in 2020.

The second season premiered on 2021 ad the third one in 2023.

Awkwafina, Teresa Hsiao and Karey Dornetto are the main writers for the episodes.

THE PLOT

Nora Lum is a 20ish young woman, living in Queens with her father and grandma and is struggling in finding her personal path in career and love.

she's becoming an adult, and yet act as a nerd teenager, that does not want to grow up. She's a sort of Peter Pan of the modern days!

THE CAST

Getty Images

Main

Awkwafina = Nora

Lori Tan Chinn = her grandmother

BD Wong = Wally, Nora's father

It might seem that we're kinda back to "The farewell", as the major characters are plaid by Awkwafina and her fictional grandma (an hilarious energetic, crazy and out of the box Lori Tan Chinn). In this case also the paternal figure plays a consistent role.

Knowing a little bit of Awkwafina, it looks like the series, somehow, brings on screen her real life. Her mum passed away, she grew up with dad and grandma in Staten Island (another of the 5 borough of NY, like Queens). She has Chinese and Korean heritage and has probably struggled in finding in her way thru adulthood, career, and a land sometimes hostile to non-western-looking people. Not to mention that... her real name is, in fact, Nora Lum!

Recurring

Getty Images

Bowen Yang = Edmund, Nora's cousin

Chrissie Fit = Melanie, Nora's best friend

Jonathan Park = Doug

Jennifer Esposito = Brenda, Wally's girlfriend

Bowen Yang is the funniest and lovable cousin I could wish for! Totally egocentric, trying to find his way away from the rich mum who tries to easy his path, anywhere he chooses to go...

THE PLACES

Queens, New York City, New York, is the main place where everything is filmed. If you live there, you can recognize several places that appears in the scenes!

As for the Beijing, China, set, it was really filmed at Taoyuan International Airport and in Taipei, Taiwan.

CRITICAL REVIEWS

PROS

"There's a lot of pressure on creators of color to be groundbreaking — to sell their shows as both good and somehow ethically nutritious. Awkwafina's place in that calculus is complicated by legitimate questions about her own treatment of cultural traditions she's not part of. But it's also fair to evaluate Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens as an entry in a line of single-camera comedy series amplifying one distinctive sensibility (Insecure, Louie, Chewing Gum, Broad City, even Portlandia). And as part of that line, it holds up well."

Linda Holmes of NPR

CONS

"Nora From Queens showcases Awkwafina's charming brashness and surrounds her with an equally delightful cast—especially scene stealer Lori Tan Chinn—but it could stand to walk a less familiar comedic beat."

Ok. Say what you want, but at the end of the story, in this pop culture, the success is determined by the people, the popular viewers... and the series ranked the highest rated season one premiere for Comedy Central since 2017, and social media also awarded the show with a lot of attention.

I found it amusing. It is the show that I can't wait to watch, as soon as I get home from the office. It's entertaining and fun. The episodes are sometimes so crazy, that you can't wait to see how they end up. Between my fav I put the episode of grandma and Nora in Atlantic City (season 1, episode 2), as I love all the Asian grandmas' routine of going picnicking at the Casino, and those of season 2 in which we see Nora arriving at this weirdo community, a mix of fancy hippie and self-elected Amish, and living there, even getting married!

I must watch season 3, I can't wait!