Television series
Asian Americans
A five-hour PBS documentary series that traces Asian American history from the 1850s to the present through intimate personal stories. Directed by acclaimed filmmakers including Renee Tajima-Peña, it moves beyond statistics to show how Asian Americans shaped—and were shaped by—the nation's defining moments. Essential viewing that fills a gap most American history classes leave empty.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you want American history told through the lives of the people who lived it, and you enjoy a documentary that connects an 1850s arrival to the present day through personal stories.
Skip it if you need a single argument or a tight visual style, since this is a wide survey covering a century and a half that can feel sprawling.
What it asks of you: Five hours is the commitment, so it suits a viewer who will take it in over a few evenings and is happy to follow a long timeline.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
The Boondocks2005
Satirical anime series that weaponizes comedy to dissect race, identity, and American mythology with surgical precision. Often hilarious, always thinking, never condescending to its audience.
But The protagonist can be insufferable, and the show's anger sometimes overwhelms its narrative. Some episodes misfire badly.
Always Be My Maybe2019
Romantic comedy starring Ali Wong and Randall Park that treats Asian American characters as the full, complex leads they deserve. Funny, romantic, and genuinely smart about culture and identity without lecturing.
But If rom-com tropes bore you, the structure won't surprise. Some will find the relationship's central conflict frustrating.
Minari2021
Beautifully shot family drama about Korean American immigrants pursuing the American dream in rural Arkansas. Quietly powerful, with performances that ache.
But Quiet and meditative rather than plot-driven. Some find the pacing glacial. Heavy themes around loss and displacement.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Asian Americans
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
One Piece1999
Like Asian Americans, it's a story about marginalized people claiming their place in history. It builds belonging through specific, lived cultural detail rather than preaching about diversity.
Anime series with a genuinely diverse cast of heroes from across the world, told with genuine warmth and political consciousness about imperialism and freedom. Nearly 1000 episodes means you'll never run out.
But Shonen anime conventions mean filler, repetitive fights, and a male-heavy early cast. The first 50 episodes test your patience.
More like this (3)
The Farewell2019
Lulu Wang's debut about a Chinese American family keeping a terminal diagnosis secret from their grandmother. Mixes comedy and heartbreak with cultural specificity that feels lived-in.
But The tonal shifts between comedy and grief won't work for everyone. Some find the family dynamics bewildering rather than moving.
Everything Everywhere All at Once2022
Wildly inventive multiverse film centered on an Asian American mother and daughter, with formal ambition that matches its emotional core. Pure creative joy.
But The visual chaos and genre-hopping can feel exhausting rather than exhilarating. Very much a love-it-or-find-it-exhausting proposition.
BEEF2023
Both examine how Asian Americans navigate a country that alternates between invisibility and hypervisibility. Beef shows the fracture point; Asian Americans shows the history that created it.
A furious five-episode limited series about a road-rage escalation between two strangers that becomes a meditation on rage, class, and being unseen in America. Technically perfect.
But Deliberately bleak and suffocating. Contains sustained violence and offers no catharsis. One of the bleakest television experiences you can have.
People
Cast
Daniel Dae KimNarrator
Tamlyn TomitaNarrator