''Little America'' is an American
anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors.
In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...
comedy streaming television series produced for
Apple TV+. It premiered on January 17, 2020.
The series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on December 9, 2022.
Premise
''Little America'' looks to "go beyond the headlines to look at the funny, romantic, heartfelt, inspiring and unexpected lives of immigrants in America, at a time when their stories are more relevant than ever."
Cast
The Manager
*
Suraj Sharma as Kabir
** Eshan Inamdar as young Kabir
*** Ishan Gandhi as preteen Kabir
*
Sherilyn Fenn as
Laura Bush
Laura Lane Welch Bush (''née'' Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American teacher, librarian, memoirist and author who was First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Bush previously served as First Lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000. ...
Priyanka Bose as Kabir's Mother
The Jaguar
* Jearnest Corchado as Marisol
* Melinna Bobadilla as Gloria
*
John Ortiz
John Ortiz (born May 23, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for his antagonist role as Arturo Braga in ''Fast & Furious'' (2009) and ''Fast & Furious 6'' (2013), and Clyde in ''Jack Goes Boating'' (2010), which earned him a nomination for t ...
as Squash Coach
* Jamie Gore Pawlik as Charlotte Ansley
The Cowboy
*
Conphidance as Iwegbuna
*
Tom McCarthy as Professor Robbins
* Chinaza Uche as Chioke
*
Ebbe Bassey
Ebbe Bassey is a Nigerian American actress, who was nominated for Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for playing "Maa Dede" in '' Ties That Bind'' (2011).
Career
Bassey has starred in many Nigerian and American fi ...
as Mma Udeh
The Silence
*
Mélanie Laurent as Sylviane
*
Zachary Quinto as Spiritual Leader
*
Bill Heck
Bill Heck is an American actor who has appeared on Broadway and in television shows, such as '' The Leftovers'' and '' The Old Man'', and films, including in the role of Billy Knapp in the Coen Brothers' western ''The Ballad of Buster Scruggs''.
...
as Jack
*
Gavin Lee as Henry
The Baker
*
Kemiyondo Coutinho
Kemiyondo Coutinho is a Ugandan playwright, actress and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. She started a music platform titled A Ka Dope aimed at giving new Uganda artists an audience. Her directorial debut short film Kyenvu won Best Narrative Short F ...
as Beatrice
* Innocent Ekakitie as Brian
*
Susan Basemera as Yuliana
* Philip Luswata as Beatrice's Father
The Grand Prize Expo Winners
* Angela Lin as Ai
* X. Lee as Bo
* Madeleine Chang as Cheng
The Rock
*
Shaun Toub as Faraz
* Shila Vosough Ommi as Yasmin
* Justin Ahdoot as Behrad
The Son
*
Haaz Sleiman
Haaz Sleiman (; ar, هاز سليمان; born July 1, 1976) is a Lebanese actor. He most notably played the role of Tarek in the 2007 film '' The Visitor'' for which he was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male an ...
as Rafiq
* Adam Ali as Zain
*
Fahim Fazli as Taliban commander
Episodes
Season 1 (2020)
Season 2 (2022)
Production
On February 8, 2018, it was announced that Apple was developing a television series based on the true stories collection "Little America" featured in ''Epic Magazine''. The show is set to be written by
Lee Eisenberg
Lee Eisenberg (born April 5, 1977) is an American film and television writer and producer. He usually works with Gene Stupnitsky, with whom he founded Quantity Entertainment.
Life and career
Eisenberg was born in Needham, Massachusetts. His fath ...
,
Kumail Nanjiani
Kumail Ali Nanjiani (; ur, کمیل علی ننجیانی, ; born May 2, 1978) is a Pakistani-American actor, comedian and screenwriter. He is known for his role as Dinesh in the HBO comedy series ''Silicon Valley'' (2014–2019) and for co-wri ...
, and
Emily V. Gordon
Emily V. Gordon (born May 3, 1979) is an American writer, producer and podcast host. She co-wrote the 2017 romantic comedy film ''The Big Sick'', based on her relationship with her husband and frequent collaborator, comic Kumail Nanjiani. Gordon ...
, all of whom will also executive produce alongside
Alan Yang,
Joshuah Bearman
Joshuah Bearman is an American journalist. He has written for ''Rolling Stone'', '' Harper's'', ''Wired'', ''The New York Times Magazine'', '' The Believer'', and ''McSweeney's,'' and contributes to ''This American Life.'' Bearman was a contrib ...
, and
Joshua Davis. Arthur Spector will act as co-executive producer. Production companies involved with the series include
Universal Television.
On June 19, 2018, it was announced that Apple had given the production a series order. The show began filming in
New Jersey in early 2019; however, the eighth episode of the first season, "The Son" (which is about a gay asylum seeker from
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
), was shot in the Canadian province of
Quebec because the American
Executive Order 13780 prevented some of its actors from being able to enter the United States for filming.
The series was renewed for a second season in December 2019, prior to the series premiere.
[ The second season premiered on December 9, 2022, with an eight episode season.
]
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has a 95% rating with an average score of 8.92 out of 10 based on 37 reviews. The site's critical consensus is, "Joyous, heartfelt, and very human, ''Little America'''s thoughtful collection of immigrant tales is as inspirational as it is relatable." On Metacritic, it has a score of 85 out of 100 based on 20 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".
Accolades
References
External links
* – official site
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Little America
2020 American television series debuts
2020s American comedy television series
Apple TV+ original programming
English-language television shows
Television series by Universal Television
2020s American anthology television series
Works about immigration to the United States
Television shows based on magazines
Television productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Television shows filmed in New Jersey
Television shows filmed in Quebec