Why Hulu's 'The Season' is the new perfect summer watch
Hulu's "The Season" is a twisty new show, perfect for the summer.
The series was released last week and centers around Hong Kong's wealthy social scene during its boating and sailing season.
The show can be described as a "Rivals" meets "Crazy Rich Asians" story for its power dynamics and high-society intrigue, but its stars say it's much more than that.
"This show's got a bit of that sexy danger and champagne-filled fantasy that we're exploring (in) this socialite world," "The Season" star Chris Pang told ABC News. The actor, who also starred in "Crazy Rich Asians," said, "I would say our show is more like a modern 'Bridgerton' in Hong Kong."
What is 'The Season' about?
The new series follows a woman named Cola (Jessie Mei Li), who is "thrust into the glittering world of super-yachts, sun, and scandal over a Hong Kong Summer, finding no one as they seem," according to a synopsis for the series.
"In order to exact revenge against those who wronged her, she will have to infiltrate high society to right a violent wrong," the synopsis adds.
In an interview with ABC News digital, Li described Cola as an outsider who is "trying to blend in," but has ulterior motives.
"I loved Cola," Li said. "I thought she was flawed and I loved that she'd had a tough life in comparison to these other characters and she knew the importance of hard work, meritocracy."
Who stars in the season?
Along with Pang and Li, the series stars Toby Stephens, Karena Lam, Andrew Fung, Celina Jade, Justin Chien, Yvonne Chapman, Kōki, Lee Jae-yoon and Hong Kong pop stars Anson Lo and Marf Yau.
What did the cast say about working together?
While the series includes many heavy scenes, off-screen Pang Li and Chien told ABC News that when the cameras stopped rolling, they had "such a blast together."
Li said, "It was magical because we were all from different corners of the world -- Australia, the U.K., the States, Canada, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China -- we're from everywhere."
"For a group of people who were so different, we magically kind of shared so much of a sense of humor and a shared respect and love," she added, saying that because her character interacts with everyone in the cast, she had scenes with everyone. "It meant I got to get to know everyone but also get to their characters and see their performances."
"Talking about it makes me really miss it," Chien said about filming. "Everyone was just so wonderful to be around and we spent a lot of time together. We'd go out, we'd have meals, we would do hot pot at our camera operator Nate's house."
What did the cast say about working on location?
The cast added that filming in Hong Kong was also special.
"We really show off different sides of Hong Kong," said Pang, who mentioned that an episode was filmed at the legendary Sha Tin Racecourse, making "The Season" the first time any show was ever allowed to shoot on location there.
Pang added, "And then we have street-level stuff, the more local stuff where we've got little dim sum, local dim sum stores and we really show off that world."
What does the cast want audiences to walk away with?
When asked about what kind of conversations are elicited from this show, Chien said, "I hope it allows our audience the opportunity to examine their own lives."
He added, "Yes, the show is fun, yes it's thrilling, it's sexy, it's lavish, but at the end of the day I hope people feel something."
How to watch 'The Season'?
All six episodes of PCCW Media and SK Global's "The Season" are available to stream now on Hulu.
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