Awkwafina Returns to Much for Season Two

Season two keeps mining laughs from the life of its rising star

Choas is part of the charm when it comes to Nora from Queens. Striving for a larger-than-life existence, Nora’s ambitions are lofty, yet often misguided. But when Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens returns for its second season, Nora appears to have found a steady job. Can this kind of stability still be mined for laughs? With actress, comedian and YouTube rapper extraordinaire Awkwafina (real name Nora Lum) at the helm, chaotic hilarity just comes with the territory.

The series that draws much of its inspiration from Lum’s own pre-fame life digs deeper into the different facets of Nora in season two. “You have high school Nora. You have Nora, if things had worked out a little bit differently. You have Nora as a child and this imaginary friend character that encapsulates the mean, childlike Nora,” teases co-creator Teresa Hsiao. “This is her seeing different sides of herself and trying to figure out who she actually is and what kind of person she wants to be.”

Nora’s search for her best self—or merely self-sufficient self—is juxtaposed with friends and family who appear to have it all figured out. “She’s still struggling with that,” says Hsiao. “It’s that age-old struggle of, ‘Who am I? What do I want? Who should I be? And what do people expect of me?’—and saying that it’s OK to not necessarily know.”

Throughout her adventures, Nora is surrounded by a loving family that unconditionally supports her endeavours. This season the show delves deeper into the life of Nora’s father Wally, played by BD Wong, in an episode directed by the actor himself. “It is a love letter for Nora and her family. It’s a more emotional episode that is based on telling stories of the past,” says Hsiao. “Alan Sun Kim [of Minari fame] plays young Wally in that episode, and it was really great having him on set.”

Having established their characters in the first season, the creators of the show decided it was time to get to know each of them better in their sophomoric season. “What I loved about season one was just there were heightened moments, but then there were also really grounded, emotional moments,” says Hsiao. “For season two, we really levelled up, and lean into some of the more emotional sides of the characters.”

SNL‘s Bowen Yang returns as Nora’s cousin Edmund, who has discovered what he really, really wants. “He’s going to be moving towards acting, from season one where he’s a Silicon Valley guy,” says showrunner Karey Dornetto. “He’s discovered what his passion is, and I think that’s also part of what Nora is looking at too. ‘Oh, wow. He’s figured out what he really loves doing.’ So, they play off each other in this season.”

One of the few characters not in search of her identity is Nora’s grandmother, played by Orange Is the New Black alum Lori Tan Chinn, which leaves room for pure antics. “We get to see a little bit more of the Grandma crew and how badass they are,” says Hsiao. “Lori is amazing and she’s so fun. She has been in the industry for a long time. She’s like the O.G. So, to have her really show off that kick-ass side of Grandma was really fun.”

The show, despite all its broad humour, continues to be deeply rooted in Lum’s own experiences. “It is Nora’s life, Nora’s voice, and only she knows it 100 percent,” says Dornetto. “It makes the show super-authentic, because it’s coming from her.” This requires Lum to have a hand in all stages of the creative process. “She’s involved in every aspect of it, from the story generation phase to writing the scripts to the table read to production,” says Hsiao.

Over the course of two seasons, the team has learned to embrace the real-life aspect of the show, which comes from a place of love. “Her dad and her Grandma, they’re watching the show, and you’re always thinking, ‘Oh my gosh. What are they going to think?’” Hsiao explains. “The nice thing with Nora and her family is that they’re all supportive, and they
all love the show. They realize that it is a heightened version of them and they’re game for everything.”

Before its release, some feared that the series’ depiction of Asian-Americans would be stereotypical or reductive. The most meaningful feedback Hsiao has gotten is the warm reception of the characters, not because of their ethnicity but their lovability. “There was always the fear that, because we were one of the only shows that featured an all Asian-American cast, we were going to be representing for all. That’s a huge responsibility,” says Hsiao. “We never took it upon ourselves to represent for this entire group, and we also didn’t let it dictate our storytelling. We just wanted to tell Nora’s authentic story, and in a lot of ways she does bust stereotypes just by virtue of her being herself.”

Awkwafina is Nora from Queens airs Wednesdays at 7 p.m. & 10 p.m. on Much