NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- This week, Awkwafina’s Comedy Central series "Nora from Queens" returns for its second season on Comedy Central.
Between the show and Marvel’s upcoming "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" - in which the actress, born Nora Lum, also stars - it’s clear that stories encapsulating the Asian-American experience are continuing to become more mainstream.
Speaking with 1010 WINS in an exclusive interview, series co-creator Teresa Hsiao says that while representation was a key factor in its development, she was more interested in, “making a family sitcom, [that’s] a little different from what you’ve seen before.” And it is.
The series revolves around a 20-something named Nora (a fictionalized version of Awkwafina’s own self) who often bounces around New York City aimlessly getting into various misadventures. Sometimes joined by her cousin, father, and her feisty grandmother, there’s never a dull moment.
Actress Lori Tan Chinn, who plays the latter and also spoke to WINS, affirmed that playing the role is always fun. She said, “Most of us -- especially Asian women -- are stuck in roles where they’re very polite, and so when it comes to breaking out and telling it like it is it’s quite a pleasure. I don’t have to hold back anything.”
The inaugural episode of the season actually follows her character as she discovers that, despite her age, she’s the healthiest she’s ever been. What follows is a series of numerous humorous attempts to test her strength.
Speaking on the topic of age and being able to still do what she does now despite it, the 73-year-old revealed, “I am very grateful that the role came along [when it did] because I was about to retire.”
“Roles are far and few,” she continued, “Even in the beginning of my career [on stage]...I’ve done three Broadway shows, but there [were] nine years in between each one. That’s a long time. That’s close to a decade of having to claw and be broke and starving for your art. I’m a happy camper now.”
While her story has somewhat of a happy ending, she’s proof that millennials aren’t the only ones who have to struggle in life. And that’s what she hopes people take away from the show too. “Just being is the experience,” she says.
The New York native also went on to say that just because the show is set in New York, doesn’t mean people who aren't from there won’t relate to it, especially because the primary setting of Queens has such a reputation for being “a melting pot of many races.”
“You don’t really have to know what you want to do or what you want to be,” Hsiao added,” as long as you have the love of your family.”
There’s no better representation that.
The second season of Nora from Queens premieres on Comedy Central August 18th, 2021 at 10 PM ET/PT.