Awkwafina - How to Watch Nora From Queens
Awkwafina stars in this comedy about a young woman struggling to navigate the twists and turns of young adulthood. She lives in Queens with her parents (BD Wong and Lori Tan Chinn) and grandmother (Lori Tan Chinn).
The show’s humor is both sweet and upbeat, but there are also jokes about sex and drugs. It’s a filthy, funny slacker comedy that families will enjoy watching together.
Awkwafina
Awkwafina is a rapper and actress who's made her way to stardom in just the first few decades of her career. From comedic roles like Crazy Rich Asians and Ocean's 8 to a more dramatic role in The Farewell, she's managed to show off her incredible range in just a short time.
Awkwafina was born in Stony Brook, Long Island, to Chinese American and Korean American parents. Her father, Wally, worked in information technology, and her mother, Tia, was a painter who emigrated from South Korea. She grew up close to her grandparents, who owned a famous Chinese restaurant in New York City's Flushing neighborhood.
She began playing the trumpet at age four, and eventually went to LaGuardia High School for performing arts, where she also studied jazz and classical music. She later graduated from the State University of New York at Albany, where she majored in journalism and minored in women's studies.
After graduating, she pursued a career as a comedian. She wrote and performed her own comedy skits, and has appeared on MTV's Girl Code, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, and Saturday Night Live. She also hosts her own YouTube web talk show, Tawk, which sees her interview comedians in strange places, from bodegaes to subway cars.
Before she became an actress, Awkwafina was a comedian and singer. She had her own talk show, called Tawk, and a popular YouTube channel where she posted humorously boastful rap songs about private parts. Her song "My Vag," which she wrote and released in 2012, got her fired from her job as a publicist, and it helped kickstart her rise to fame.
Her raps are influenced by her Chinese heritage, and she often uses Chinese and Korean words. She has also collaborated with musicians such as Tenacious D. She has recorded an album, Yellow Ranger, which was inspired by her own yellow hair and her love for the Power Rangers.
Awkwafina started her acting career with a small role in the comedy Neighbors 2. She was then offered a leading role in the film's sequel, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rise, in 2016. In 2018, she played Constance in Ocean's 8 and Goh Peik Lin in Crazy Rich Asians.
Bowen Yang
Bowen Yang is an American actor, comedian, and podcaster who has starred on several critically acclaimed shows, including Saturday Night Live, as well as co-stars in Comedy Central’s Awkwafina is Nora from Queens. He is a pioneer in the world of comedy and his authentic and thoughtful insights have made him a beloved figure in the community.
He began as a writer on Saturday Night Live in September 2018, making him the show’s first Chinese-American and third openly gay male cast member. He became a Featured Player in September 2019 and remained a cast member for the 45th season. In 2021, he received his first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
In the show, Bowen Yang plays Nora’s cousin Edmund, who is Ivy League-educated and successful in tech. He is constantly vying for Grandma’s affection and attention, and always finds ways to put Nora in her place.
Wally, Nora’s father, is played by Bradley Darryl Wong, who is also a writer for the show. He is a widower who loves his daughter Nora and her grandmother, but sometimes has trouble dealing with them. He is also the head of a single-parent support group where Nora attends.
Despite her slacker lifestyle, Nora is a strong and intelligent woman with a deep passion for art. She has a talent for painting and drawing, and she is a devoted fan of the works of artists such as Mark Twain.
She is also an avid reader of literary classics, and she enjoys the thrill of deciphering the text. She also shares a love of music and movies with her friends, but she isn’t afraid to take risks when it comes to her work.
Her witty and edgy comedy is the heart of the series, but it also features more serious storylines, such as Nora’s relationship with her mother. She also makes a trip to the country with her best friend to try and find her long-lost sister.
The slacker comedy has been a huge success with audiences, generating 39,000 social engagements across Facebook and Twitter during its premiere in 2018. It is available on Comedy Central, HBO Max, and fuboTV.
BD Wong
You may be familiar with actor BD Wong, who plays Wally in Awkwafina’s comedy series “Awkwafina is Nora From Queens.” He has a long list of TV and movie roles, including Dr. George Huang in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Dr. Henry Wu in Jurassic Park, and Captain Li Shang in the animated film Mulan.
Wong is also an activist in the LGBT+ community and often dedicates time to it. He is a member of the Chinese American Community Action Network and has worked on behalf of several organizations.
BD Wong has been acting since he was young, and his career took off when he made his Broadway debut in M. Butterfly, which he starred in alongside John Lithgow. He was the first Asian American to play the lead role in a Broadway production, and he was awarded several awards for his work.
He is a graduate of Lincoln High School in San Francisco and received an honorary doctorate from San Francisco State University. He is a member of the Chinese Film Society and the Actors Studio of San Francisco.
In the 1990s, Wong starred as Margaret Cho’s brother on All-American Girl. He has since acted in many other television shows and films, including CSI: NY, Gotham, and Jurassic Park.
Currently, he is starring as Whiterose on USA Network’s Mr. Robot, and he has also guest-starred on NCIS: New Orleans as Navy Lieutenant Commander Dr. Gabriel Lin, as well as recurring roles on NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans Season 1.
When SheKnows’ Video VP Reshma Gopaldas spoke with Awkwafina about how she chooses her father to be the star of her show, she asked Wong for his thoughts on how it’s like to pull double duty as an actor and a director. Watch their conversation below to learn more about BD Wong’s career and how he got into acting!
As for Awkwafina’s premise, it’s based on her own real-life growing up in Queens. It follows 29-year-old Nora (played by Awkwafina) as she struggles to grow up, while trying to live with her widowed father and grandmother. They help her navigate the outer borough-NYC lifestyle, but sometimes Nora gets lost in the world and needs to retreat from it. She leans on her family to get her through it, but she also knows that her family isn’t perfect and needs to be flexible with each other.
Lori Tann Chin
Lori Tann Chinn is the foul-mouthed and adorable Grandma Nora on "Awkwafina is Nora from Queens." She's a second-generation Chinese-American actress and comedian who is best known for her roles in Orange Is the New Black and Comedy Central's Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens. She's also a Broadway actress, appearing in Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen and South Pacific.
Chinn was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. She is of Hoisan (first Chinese to arrive in America) and Vietnamese descent and grew up speaking both languages. She moved to New York City in 1969 and is now an accomplished actress.
She is a self-taught actress, writer, dancer and singer who has won numerous awards. She is also a noted member of the Katherine Dunham Company and a performer in African dance.
Her debut on Broadway was in the chorus of "Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen." She later won a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Musical for South Pacific.
Currently, she stars on "Awkwafina Is nora from queens" as Nora Lum. She's a filthy slacker, but she isn't afraid to get dirty in the pursuit of her dreams.
The show follows Nora and her cousin Edmund, who is Ivy League-educated and successful in tech. He's always vying for Grandma's affection and attention and never misses a chance to put Nora in her place.
Wally, Nora's father is played by BD Wong, who is known for his roles in "The New Girl" and "Two and a Half Men." He loves Nora and her Grandma but finds that she sometimes takes up too much of his time.
He also attends a single-parent support group. He eventually begins dating a woman he meets in the group called Brenda.
Her friends include a teen neighbor who has wisdom beyond his years, Teddy. She's also a sand art hustler and fiercely loyal.
Watch "Awkwafina" for free on Comedy Central, HBO Max, and fuboTV or buy it from iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Google Play Movies, and Vudu. It's also available on DVD. The show is a comedy that's sure to be entertaining!
