Prime-Video - Expats: A Six-Part Limited Series Premiering January 26, 2024

By Mulder, 11 january 2024

Prime Video had unveiled today the key art for its highly anticipated six-part limited series, Expats. Directed by the talented Lulu Wang and inspired by the internationally best-selling novel The Expatriates by Janice Y. K. Lee, this groundbreaking series is set to premiere with a double episode debut on January 26, 2024, followed by weekly episodes until the grand finale on February 23, 2024.

Expats boasts an ensemble cast led by the incomparable Nicole Kidman, an Academy Award- and Emmy-winning actor known for her exceptional performances in Big Little Lies and The Undoing. Joining Kidman are the talented Sarayu Blue (Never Have I Ever, Blockers), Ji-young Yoo (The Sky Is Everywhere, Smoking Tigers), Brian Tee (Chicago Med, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows), and Jack Huston (House of Gucci, Fargo). Kidman, in addition to her starring role, serves as an executive producer alongside the visionary Lulu Wang.

Set against the vibrant and tumultuous tapestry of 2014 Hong Kong, Expats revolves around three American women—Margaret (Nicole Kidman), Hilary (Sarayu Blue), and Mercy (Ji-young Yoo)—whose lives intersect after a sudden family tragedy. The narrative explores themes of privilege and examines the blurred lines between victimhood and culpability. Brian Tee portrays Margaret's husband Clarke, and Jack Huston takes on the role of Hilary's husband David, adding depth and complexity to the storyline.

Lulu Wang, the creative force behind Expats, serves as a creator, director, and writer for the series. Alongside her, executive producers include Daniele Melia for Local Time, Nicole Kidman for Blossom Films (known for Rabbit Hole and Nine Perfect Strangers), and Australian screenwriter Alice Bell (The Beautiful Lie, The Slap). Theresa Park for Per Capita Productions and Stan Wlodkowski, both esteemed figures in the industry, also contribute as executive producers. Writers Vera Miao, Gursimran Sandhu, and author Janice Y. K. Lee, along with Bell and Wang, complete the dynamic team behind Expats.

The series has faced its share of controversies, particularly Prime Video's decision to produce two series in Hong Kong about expatriates, the other being Exciting Times. Critics argue that it comes at a sensitive time, given Hong Kong's political situation under the national security law imposed by the government of the People's Republic of China. The South China Morning Post described the series as tone-deaf and out of touch, given author Janice Y. K. Lee's background as the daughter of Korean immigrants who left Hong Kong for the US at the age of 15.

Nicole Kidman's exemption from the city's mandatory 21-day in-hotel quarantine regime upon her arrival on August 12, 2021, via private jet with bodyguards, has also stirred controversy. The Hong Kong authorities defended the exemption, citing the purpose of performing designated professional work and its contribution to maintaining the necessary operation and development of Hong Kong's economy.

Despite the challenges, Expats is anticipated to bring positive publicity and employment opportunities to Hong Kong. The series is scheduled to premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video on January 26, 2024.

Synopsis :
The intense lives of a group of expatriate women in Hong Kong, bound together by a strong friendship that is often put to the test...

Expats
Created by Lulu Wang
Based on The Expatriates by Janice Y. K. Lee
Starring Nicole Kidman, Ji-young Yoo, Jack Huston, Sarayu Blue, Brian Tee, Bonde Sham, Flora Chan
Composer : Alex Weston
Executive producers : Nicole Kidman, Per Saari, Theresa Park, Alice Bell, Melanie Marnich, Lulu Wang, Stan Wlodkowski, Daniele Melia
Production companies : Blossom Films, Per Capita Productions, Local Time Amazon MGM Studios
Network : Amazon Prime Video