American Born Chinese: 8 Similar Shows You Must See

Following the collision of three different worlds, ‘American Born Chinese’ is an action comedy television show follows the story of three young individuals who find themselves coming together due to an aligned fate. The story follows Jin Wang, a 10th grader whose struggle as an outcast is upended when he meets Wei-Chen, a new exchange student. Rather than settling in with his peers and becoming a part of the crowd, Jin Wang is thrust into a battle between mythical Chinese Gods. Created by Kelvin Yu, the show is based on the graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang.

Featuring compelling performances by Ben Wang, Stephanie Hsu, Daniel Wu, Michelle Yeoh, Chin Han, Ke Huy Quan, Jim Liu and Sydney Taylor, ‘American Born Chinese’ includes several entertaining elements like adventure, myth, and action that make it difficult to look away. So, if the quest for righteousness and fight for good in ‘American Born Chinese’ appealed to you just as much, here is a list of television shows you will also like.

8. Into the Badlands (2015-2019)

Featuring performances by Daniel Wu, Emily Beecham, Aramis Knight, Ally Ioannides, Orla Brady and Oliver Stark, ‘Into the Badlands’ is set in a despotic post-apocalyptic America where feudal barons decide the order of the day. To counter their ruthless rule and set things straight, a young boy with supernatural powers and a mighty warrior undertake the search for enlightenment. The series is created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar and centers around a Chinese tale’s journey to Western land and focuses on martial arts making its narrative similar to ‘American Born Chinese.’

7. The New Legends of Monkey (2018-2020)

Coalescing fiction and fantasy, ‘The New Legends of Monkey’ follows the story of a young monk and his group of disciples who undertake a fantastical journey across an ancient land to retrieve the seven sacred scrolls of Buddhist wisdom. With Luciane Buchanan, Josh Thomson, Emilie Cocquerel, Chai Hansen, Jarred Blakiston, Josh McKenzie, Atticus Iti and JJ Fong, the series features action and a quest for wisdom. Created by Jacquelin Perske, Craig Irvin and Samantha Strauss, ‘The New Legends of Monkey’ also features the action, fantasy and adventure that made ‘American Born Chinese’ so appealing!

6. Runaways (2017-2019)

Another work from the Marvel universe, ‘Runaways,’ follows the story of six teenagers, Nico, Karolina, Molly, Chase, Alex and Gertrude, who are faced with a bewildering truth. Upon discovering their parents’ involvement in a supervillain cabal, the six teenagers decide to set things right themselves. The television show features Lyrica Okano, Virginia Gardner, Ariela Barer, Rhenzy Feliz, and Greg Sulkin. From looking at identity and culture, ‘Runaways’ by creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage includes a number of similar themes as seen in ‘American Born Chinese,’ making this the right show to watch next.

5. The Imperfects (2022)

Featuring angst and rebellious young individuals, this superhero action fiction follows the story of three young adults who go after a mad scientist who ends up tampering with their DNA and ends up giving them disruptive superpowers. The ensemble features Morgan Taylor Campbell, Rhianna Jagpal, Inaki Godoy, Italia Ricci, Rhys Nicholson, Junnicia Lagoutin, Kyra Zagorsky, and Jedidiah Goodacre.

The coming-of-age story posited as a coming-of-rage story does not just feature action and fantasy but also incorporates humor in the narrative. The series is created by Dennis Heaton and Shelley Eriksen and features young strife and struggle as seen in ‘American Born Chinese,’ making this the perfect series to watch next.

4. I Am Not Okay With This (2020)

From navigating the trauma of her past to the trepidations of her present, ‘I Am Not Okay With This’ follows the story of Sydney, a teenage girl whose bottled angst, awkwardness, family drama and unrequited crush on her best friend cumulate into a number of complexities. The show does not just follow the formulaic stories of young individuals with superpowers but delves deeper into the allied issues that come with the matter.

Featuring Sophia Lillis, Wyatt Oleff, Sofia Bryant, Richard Ellis, Sophia Tatum, Kathleen Rose Perkins and Jackson Frazer, ‘I Am Not Okay With This’ by creators Jonathan Entwistle and Christy Hall resonates with the repressed feelings of young individuals and their quest for doing something more, making this the right series to tune into after, ‘American Born Chinese.’

3. The Umbrella Academy (2019-2023)

An amalgamation of humor, suspense and action, ‘The Umbrella Academy’ follows the story of seven children adopted by eccentric billionaire Sir Reginal Hargreeves. As he inducts them into a superhero team called ‘The Umbrella Academy,’ a number of events follow. Starring Aidan Gallagher, Elliot Page, Robert Sheehan, Tom Hopper, Ritu Arya, Emmy Raver-Lampman, David Castaneda, and Genesis Rodriguez, ‘The Umbrella Academy’ by creator Gerard Way includes unlimited action envisioned in fantasy, making this the perfect series to watch after, ‘American Born Chinese.’

2. Kung Fu (2021-2023)

Featuring Olivia Liang, Yvonne Chapman, Shannon Dang, Vanessa Yao, Eddie Liu and Gavin Stenhouse, ‘King Fu’ features the story of a young Chinese American woman named Nicki who is faced with a quarter life-crisis and forced to journey to an isolated monastery in China and leave college behind. The series is created by Christina M. Kim and follows the riveting brilliance of Kung Fu as a martial art. The narrative follows Nicki as she traverses duties and lingering threats. So, if the fantasy-infused martial arts story intrigued you in ‘American Born Chinese’, then you’ll find ‘Kung Fu’ equally riveting too.

1. Wu Assassins (2019)

The series is created by John Wirth and Tony Krantz and features Iko Uwais, Lewis Tan, Li Jun Li, Byron Mann, Katheryn Winnick and Lawrence Kao. The plot of the show follows Kai Jin, a young Chinatown chef in San Francisco. However, a chance encounter with a mystical spirit makes Kai the Wu Assassin. As Kai traverses the line between duty and choice, he must make sure he does right by the skill and power imbued within him by the death of 1000 monks. Like ‘American Born Chinese’, ‘Wu Assassins’ will also follow a fantasy-filled drama, making this the a good show to watch next.