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Expats is one of the highly controversial upcoming American drama series that has created quite a buzz since it went under production.
The series is based on Janice Y. K. Lee’s “The Expatriates,” which was released in 2016. The story follows three American women who are living in Hong Kong and explores themes of motherhood, identity and challenges faced by expatriates in the foreign land.
Expats will be helmed by Lulu Wang, one of the most decorated directors in the industry, who earned recognition and acclaim with Posthumous (2016) and The Farewell (2019).
Partnering with Nicole Kidman’s Blossom Films, the renowned Australia-born actress who's also starring as one of the lead characters in the series, Amazon Studios began production on the series in 2018.
After almost five years and filming that took over 500 days, Expats will finally be released on January 26, 2024. Follow along with the article to learn more about the series.
When will Expats be released worldwide?
Expats will air worldwide on January 26, 2024. Given it was developed to be a limited series, Expats will be boasting six episodes that will run from January 26 to February 23 and will be making a double-header debut. The runtime of the episodes hasn’t been disclosed yet.
Besides executively producing the show, Lulu Wang will also be directing the premise and will also be providing scripts for the first and the fifth episode. Other scriptwriters include Vera Maio (Two Sentences Horror Stories), Gursimran Sandhu (Invasion), and the author of the original book, Janice Y.K. Lee.
Where can I watch Expats?
Being a show adapted and developed by Amazon Studios in partnership with Nicole Kidman’s Blossom Films, the series will be exclusively available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
So, in a nutshell, subscribers of other platforms, like Netflix, HBO Max and DisneyPlus, won’t be seeing the show in their libraries.
What is the Plot of Expats?
As Amazon Prime Video describes, the series follows the three eponymous Expats, Margaret, Hillary and Mercy, whose lives take a drastic turn after a fateful encounter.
It sets a chain of life-altering events that eventually makes them question who is responsible and what happened. The trio will have to figure out how to deal with the consequences and who is to blame.
Here’s how the synopsis of the novel The Expatriates by Janice Y. K. Lee reads:
In the glittering city of Hong Kong, expats arrive daily for myriad reasons—to find or lose themselves in a foreign place and to forget or remake themselves far from home.
"Amidst this hothouse atmosphere, a tragic incident causes three American women’s lives to collide in ways that will rewrite every assumption of their privileged world.
The synopsis introduces the three main characters of the story:
Mercy, a young Korean American and recent Columbia graduate, once again finds herself compromised and adrift, trying to start her life anew; Hilary, a wealthy housewife, is haunted by her struggle to have a child, hoping to save her uncertain marriage.
"Meanwhile, Margaret, once the enviable mother of three, tries to negotiate an existence that has become utterly unrecognizable after a catastrophic event.
It further reveals how their life would be entangled:
"Faced with unthinkable choices, these three women form a profound connection that defies the norms of the sequestered community—finding in each other a strength borne of need, forgiveness, and, ultimately, hope.
Who are the Cast and characters of Expats?
Nicole Kidman will be portraying Margaret's role, while Sarayu Blue will play Hilary. Both Nicole and Sarayu’s characters are career-driven housewives who are also described as friends in the series.
Jin-young Yoo takes on the role of Mercy, a young graduate embarking on the journey of navigating her life and its complexities. Below is the complete list of the rest of the cast members and their characters:
- Jack Huston as David Starr
- Brian Tee as Clarke
- Flora Chan as Olive
- Ruby Ruiz as Essie
- Tiana Gowen (Margaret and Clark's child)
- Bodhi del Rosario (Margaret and Clark's child)
- Connor James Gillman (Margaret and Clark's child)
What is the controversy about Expats?
Given that the series was filmed in Hong Kong during the rise of COVID-19, Expats was heavily criticized for being insensitive towards the city. It was when the entire world was going through tough political times because of the new laws from the Chinese government.
The series was also remarked as “tone-deaf” and out of touch by the South China Morning Post, pointing out that the author of the book, Janice Y. K. Lee, is a Korean-born who moved to the U.S. when she was 15, making it difficult for her to grasp what the city was actually going through.
Moreover, Nicole Kidman’s exemption from Hong Kong’s 21-day quarantine rule also drew criticism as she arrived on a private jet in August 2021. This unfair treatment eventually provoked the residents and the lawmakers.
While some anticipated positive publicity, others saw it as potential propaganda, making the series a highly controversial topic since it went under production.
Stay tuned for more news and updates on Expats as 2024 progresses.
