As if your 2024 viewing calendar isn’t full enough, there’s yet another show that you should check out. The Brothers Sun on Netflix is the most recent release on the streaming service that has taken the world by storm. With 8 episodes in the first season, fans can’t get enough of the Sun family.
With the best combination of action and humor, the show has amazing pacing to keep you invested. If you’ve been seeing the show headlines around the internet and social media and want to know more about the series, read more to learn about The Brothers Sun on Netflix.
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What is The Brothers Sun About?
The Brothers Sun is an action comedy-drama that was created by Brad Falchuk and Byron Wu for Netflix. The story follows the life of Bruce Sun, an average Californian whose life turns upside down when his older brother, Charles Sun, comes to visit Los Angeles from Taipei, Taiwan.
Bruce has no recollection of his time in Taiwan, but will soon learn more about his family as the days go on. Soon, he finds out that his family is Taipei’s most renowned gangsters, with his brother being a hardened criminal raised by his late crime boss father.
When their past starts to creep up, Charles and his family must not only protect themselves from the criminals that are after them but teach Charles how to adapt to the life of a gangster. It’s funny, fast-paced, and has some of the most brilliant scenes that show hand-to-hand combat that will really have you sitting on the edge of your seat.
The Brothers Sun on Netflix
As of right now, The Brothers Sun is only on Netflix as it was made for that specific streaming platform. The show premiered on January 4th of this year and released all eight episodes that same day.
Empowering Roles
If you’ve been seeing The Brothers Sun around social media, you should know that there is so much talk about the casting. One such name that seems to make headlines is Michelle Yeoh, with everyone praising her empowering, badass role as Eileen, or Mama, Sun.
There’s something so refreshing and empowering to see a woman as the head of a family that not only knows how to protect herself and her beloved children but leads an empire. A role that usually is given to the male counterpart, however, The Brothers Sun did well in choosing a prime candidate for the parental crime boss role.
Michelle Yeoh didn’t just start her empowerment here, however. Over the years, the “icon of Hong Kong martial-arts cinema has reshaped a tired archetype” with her roles ” thanks to her amazing roles. From her performances as Eleanor Young in Crazy Rich Asians to her Oscar-winning role in Everything Everywhere All At Once, Yeoh “isn’t just playing mothers; she’s reinventing the matriarch”.
In The Brothers Sun, we once again see Yeoh in the position of a mother, yet she truly steals the show in this series. Her performance and character are what drive the show, not the titular sons.
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The Amazing Cast Doesn’t Stop There
While Michelle Yeoh snagged the headlines with not only her performances but her stunning work in rethinking stereotypes, there are so many great names in the show that should be noted. One such name is Sam Song Li who plays the youngest son, Bruce Sun.
This sheltered character has several roles in some of the biggest names, with guest starring in Netflix’s Never Have I Ever, Better Call Saul, American Carnage, Women is Losers, and Take the Night, but The Brothers Sun is his breakout role. Sam Song Li does an amazing job at convincing us of the character’s naiveness that makes him so relatable and is an outstanding performance for his first major role.
But if we bring up Bruce Sun, we have to talk about Charles as well, played by Justin Chien. Before Justin got a spot in The Brothers Sun for Netflix 2024, he honed his talents at USC’s School of Dramatic Arts where he also worked on several stage productions.
Thankfully, his work on a “version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream” ultimately got him signed. But his schooling isn’t the only thing that has helped him on the set of the show, as he also is a practicing martial arts master with a background in Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu, which made some of the action scenes on set a bit easier.
And let’s not forget about Alexis Kong. The smart and ambitious woman who works as an assistant district attorney in Los Angeles who bumps into Charles Sun while investigating a case.
This might not be the first time you’re seeing her, as she’s played by Highdee Kuan, who started her acting in 2016 and received roles like Luna in You season 2, as well as a Quantum Leap episode as Mallory Yang, and Sasha in This is Us.
TK Lee is yet another amazing role that we have to bring up played by Joon Lee. TK is a stoner and devoted gamer who wants to a feared gangster just like Charles, but unfortunately lacks the skills required for that job. While Joon Lee has appeared in several short films, The Brothers Sun is his first major TV role.
There are several amazing actors and actresses in the Netflix 2024 show The Brothers Sun, with many having their first major role in television.
More to Come
Have you binged the first season already and are just wondering if there will be more? Unfortunately, with it being released only this past week of writing this article, there hasn’t been any information on whether the show is renewed for a second season.
However, with the positivity surrounding the show already, I do not doubt that more will be coming. The show creators seem very interested in continuing the story for the audience, and the season 1 finale shows a post-credit scene featuring Big Sun’s right-hand man sitting at a desk scheming, so I have no doubt they’re planning to show more of the Sun family.
What to Watch in the Meantime
Don’t fear, there is more action comedy love to watch if you need something to get you through the post-show depression.
Bloodhounds is a 2023 show that is available on Netflix as well and follows three daring youths who jump into the money-lending business to pay off their debt.
Warrior is a show on Max that ran from 2019 to 2023 and follows the Tong Wars in the late 1880s. Ah Sahm, a martial arts prodigy from China, immigrates to San Francisco and becomes a hatchet man for the most powerful tong in Chinatown.
Who is Erin Carter is yet another 2023 show available on Netflix and follows a titular character who is a British teacher in Spain who finds herself caught up in a supermarket robbery. When one of the robbers claims to recognize her, her life threatens to unravel.
Succession is a 2018 to 2023 show available on Max that follows the Roy family who are known for controlling the biggest media and entertainment company in the world. When their father decides to step down, the battle for control among the heirs takes place.
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