Disney has announced that it is going to be offering viewers a special opportunity to watch select episodes of the Disney+ Original series, “American Born Chinese,” across its unparalleled distribution platforms and affiliate partners in the US, including ABC, Hulu, Roku, and beginning today, on YouTube.

Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang, “American Born Chinese” chronicles the trials and tribulations of a regular American teenager whose life is forever changed when he befriends the son of a mythological god. This is the story of a young man’s battle for his own identity, told through family, comedy, and action-packed Kung-Fu – with USA Today declaring that “the supernatural elements of “Chinese” are brought to life beautifully, playing on aesthetics from Chinese folklore, comics and animation to create worlds and scenes that pop off the screen.”

“American Born Chinese” will be made available on the following schedule:

• ABC: Saturday, June 24 at 8:00pm ET/PT – Episode 1 
• Hulu: Monday, June 26 – Sunday, July 9 – Episodes 1-3 
• YouTube: Wednesday, June 21 at 9am to Sunday, July 23 – Episode 1
• Roku: Monday, June 26 – Monday, July 10 – Episodes 1-3 

The series, which has a critic score of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes where it was declared one of the best TV and Streaming Shows of 2023, received rave reviews – with Entertainment Weekly saying  “American Born Chinese presents an inviting blend of heartfelt coming-of-age humor and exhilarating martial-arts action” as well as “extraordinarily fun and uplifting.”

Hailed as “wildly entertaining” by The Hollywood Reporter, and “a rapturous display of incredible talent” by the Austin Chronicle, “American Born Chinese” is now streaming on Disney+, where subscribers currently have access to all eight episodes of the first season.

The coming-of-age adventure features an all-star international cast, including Academy Award winners Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”), Ben Wang (“Chang Can Dunk”), International Emmy Award Nominee Yeo Yann Yann (“Wet Season”), Chin Han (“Mortal Kombat”), Daniel Wu (“Reminiscence”), former Taekwondo champion Jimmy Liu and Sydney Taylor (“Just Add Magic”).

Introducing audiences to a pantheon of iconic Chinese mythical characters, are guest stars Academy Award nominee Stephanie Hsu as Shiji Niangniang, the Goddess of Stones; Ronny Chieng as unconventional monk, Ji Gong; Jimmy O. Yang as Dragon King, Ao Guang; James Hong as Jade Emperor; Leonard Wu as Niu Mowang/Bull Demon; and Poppy Liu as Princess Iron Fan. The series also welcomes Lisa Lu as soon-to-be retired acupuncturist Ni Yang and Rosalie Chiang as student activist Suzy Nakamura.

Emmy Award-winning writer/producer Kelvin Yu (“Bob’s Burgers,” “Central Park”) serves as executive producer and showrunner.  Destin Daniel Cretton (Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Short Term 12”) directs and serves as executive producer, alongside Melvin Mar and Jake Kasdan (both of “Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.,” “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” and “Jumanji: The Next Level”), Erin O’Malley (“Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.”), Asher Goldstein (“Short Term 12,” “Just Mercy”) and Gene Luen Yang.

This move shows how Disney is looking at different ways to promote a new show, especially one with IP that people don’t know and trying to get the first episode out to as many people as possible, in the hope they check out the rest of the season on Disney+.

The entire first season of “American Born Chinese” is available to stream now on Disney+.

What do you think of Disney showcasing this series on different platforms?  Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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