Disney+ Cancels Series From Oscar Winners After One Season

American Born Chinese has been canceled by Disney+ after only one season. Based on Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel of the same name, American Born Chinese debuted May 24, 2023 on Disney+. The series boasts an all-star cast, headlined by Oscar winners Michelle Yeoh and Key Huy Quan. The duo won Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor, respectively, for their roles in the Best Picture winner Everything Everywhere All at Once. The timing of American Born Chinese‘s release piggybacked on the Oscar wins for Yeoh and Quan and garnered encouraging reviews, but it wasn’t enough to save the series.

According to Variety, Disney Branded Television was a supporter of American Born Chinese, but it didn’t have the viewership to warrant running a second season. The plan is reportedly for American Born Chinese to be shopped around to hopefully find a new home. Disney+ subscribers will now wait to hear word on whether Goosebumps and The Santa Clauses Season 2 will be renewed, along with Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Goosebumps and The Santa Clauses wound up on the Top 10 of Niesel ratings, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians had the best premiere of a Disney Branded Television series of all time.

What Is American Born Chinese About?

Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang, American Born Chinese was created by Kelvin Yu and 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.

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). 

Shang-Chi Director Talks American Born Chinese

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton is an executive producer on American Born Chinese. He also directed the pilot and final episode. Cretton previously spoke about working on the series.

“Reading Kelvin [Yu]’s riveting adaptation of Gene’s incredible novel had me laughing and crying and jumping out of my chair on every page,” Cretton previously told the press. “I feel deeply connected to the characters in this story and the brilliant team bringing it to life. This show is going to be unlike anything we’ve experienced on TV, and I can’t wait for the world to see what we’re cooking up.”

“Gene Luen Yang’s book is a staple in American literature, and deeply important to a whole generation of readers,” executive producer Kelvin Yu continued. “Destin and Melvin are storytellers working at the highest level imaginable. It’s all so exciting and so humbling to be a part of.”