The success of the movie Crazy Rich Asians has now potentially spawned a sitcom for ABC, with a script written by recent Emmy Award winner Jessica Gao. The movie was the first with an all-Asian cast since the Joy Luck Club , and it has succeeded in topping the box office for weeks.
The Hollywood Reporter says that the as-yet-untitled series tentatively called Lazy Rich Asians is in the works and hoping to capitalize on the success of the movie. Gao, who wrote a script for Rick & Morty called “Pickle Rick,” which just took home an Emmy Award, is the writer tied to the new sitcom.
THR described the new series as a story about a first-generation Chinese-American woman who unexpectedly inherits a lot of money.
“The untitled single-camera comedy, which was pitched with the title Lazy Rich Asians , revolves around Janet Zhao, a first-generation Chinese-American woman who struggles to set healthy boundaries with her crazy, exhausting family. When her wealthy grandmother dies and names Janet the sole inheritor, she suddenly finds herself the unwilling new matriarch of the family she’s spent her life trying to keep at arm’s length.”
#CrazyRichAsians -Inspired Comedy in the Works at ABC https://t.co/NQ3KcqM596 pic.twitter.com/rsieK4os0e
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) September 11, 2018
Gao will also serve as the executive producer of the new sitcom. The movie Crazy Rich Asians has surprised even experts in the entertainment industry, taking in $164.3 million worldwide thus far on a $30 million budget.
Constance Wu, the star of Crazy Rich Asians , is already tied to another sitcom on ABC, Fresh Off The Boat , which also has a largely Asian cast which includes comedian Randall Park. On that show, Wu plays the mother of three boys who move from an Asian neighborhood in Washington, D.C., in the ’90s to Orlando, Florida, where they are the minorities. The success of Crazy Rich Asians has given the powers that be the confidence that there is room for more than one mostly Asian series on television.
Even the premiere of the movie Crazy Rich Asians grabbed worldwide attention as the cast was dressed impeccably. Wu’s stylist, Micaela Erlanger, wanted to make sure that her dress matched up with the theme of the movie, and so it had to be over-the-top lavish.
“In history, tassels have almost always been a symbol of power and prestige, not to mention they make for a glamorous detail. This movie is so important for so many reasons, and I felt that Constance should look both powerful and glamorous.”
