# Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens
**Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens** is an American single-camera sitcom that premiered on [Comedy Central](https://www.edgepedia.org/comedy-central) on January 22, 2020, starring the rapper and actress [Awkwafina](https://www.edgepedia.org/awkwafina) as Nora Lin, a fictionalized version of herself navigating young adulthood in Queens, New York[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/awkwafina_is_nora_from_queens/s01) • [2](https://paramountglobalcontent.com/title/awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens). The half-hour comedy was created by Awkwafina and Teresa Hsiao and is loosely based on Awkwafina's real-life beginnings in [Flushing, Queens](https://www.edgepedia.org/flushing-queens)[3](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/comedy-central/releases/?view=104048-press-comedy-central-announces-awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens-season-2) • [2](https://paramountglobalcontent.com/title/awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens). It ran for three seasons and 27 episodes from 2020 to 2023[2](https://paramountglobalcontent.com/title/awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Network and format | Comedy Central; single-camera comedy, 30 minutes[2](https://paramountglobalcontent.com/title/awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens) |
| Run | January 22, 2020 to June 7, 2023; three seasons, 27 episodes[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/awkwafina_is_nora_from_queens/s01) • [2](https://paramountglobalcontent.com/title/awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens) • [4](https://thetvdb.com/series/awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens/seasons/official/3) |
| Creators | Awkwafina and Teresa Hsiao[3](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/comedy-central/releases/?view=104048-press-comedy-central-announces-awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens-season-2) |
| Main cast | Awkwafina as Nora Lin, BD Wong as her father Wally, Lori Tan Chinn as Grandma, Bowen Yang as cousin Edmund[2](https://paramountglobalcontent.com/title/awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens) |
| Basis | Loosely based on Awkwafina's (Nora Lum's) life growing up in Flushing, Queens[3](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/comedy-central/releases/?view=104048-press-comedy-central-announces-awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens-season-2) |
| Season 2 | Premiered August 18, 2021; 10 episodes; Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes[3](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/comedy-central/releases/?view=104048-press-comedy-central-announces-awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens-season-2) |
## Premise and characters
Nora Lin is a 27-year-old, mostly unemployed woman living at home in [Forest Hills, Queens](https://www.edgepedia.org/forest-hills-queens), with her widowed father Wally ([BD Wong](https://www.edgepedia.org/bd-wong)) and her grandmother (Lori Tan Chinn), alongside her cousin Edmund ([Bowen Yang](https://www.edgepedia.org/bowen-yang))[5](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jan/21/awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens-review-comedy-central) • [2](https://paramountglobalcontent.com/title/awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens). Like Awkwafina herself, Nora is Chinese on her father's side and Korean on her mother's; her Korean mother died when Nora was a child[5](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jan/21/awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens-review-comedy-central) • [6](https://time.com/5766193/awkwafina-nora-from-queens-review/). Early episodes follow her floundering attempts at the ground floor of adulthood, such as cashing a check, holding a job, and moving out of her father's house[5](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jan/21/awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens-review-comedy-central) • [1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/awkwafina_is_nora_from_queens/s01).
The character differs from her creator in deliberate ways. Awkwafina described the distinction to *Time*: "Awkwafina is big and brash. She's the person who says whatever's on her mind. Nora is the person who is neurotic and overthinks."[6](https://time.com/5766193/awkwafina-nora-from-queens-review/) Unlike the real Nora Lum, the character is unemployed and still lives at home[6](https://time.com/5766193/awkwafina-nora-from-queens-review/).
## Production and broadcast history
Comedy Central announced the series' official title on September 9, 2019, while the show was in production in New York, with a January 2020 premiere slated[7](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/comedy-central/releases/?view=104043-press-awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens). The 10-episode first season used a predominantly female and diverse director slate: [Natasha Lyonne](https://www.edgepedia.org/natasha-lyonne), Lucia Aniello, Jamie Babbit, The Daniels, Steven Tsuchida, and Anu Valia[7](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/comedy-central/releases/?view=104043-press-awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens). Season 1 ran from January 22 to March 25, 2020, ending with the episode "China," in which Nora moves abroad after her app Scrubr is acquired by an overseas company[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/awkwafina_is_nora_from_queens/s01).
Season 2 premiered on August 18, 2021, with a second episode airing the same night, and featured directors including Bill Benz, Andrew McCarthy, Laura Murphy, Jordan Kim, and Steven Tsuchida; BD Wong made his television directorial debut that season[3](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/comedy-central/releases/?view=104048-press-comedy-central-announces-awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens-season-2). Season 3 concluded with the series finale on June 7, 2023[4](https://thetvdb.com/series/awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens/seasons/official/3).
## Reception and context
Critics placed the show in the female slacker comedy tradition of *Broad City* and *Girls*, while noting that it is also a family sitcom set in a multi-generational Asian American household[6](https://time.com/5766193/awkwafina-nora-from-queens-review/) • [5](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jan/21/awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens-review-comedy-central). *The Guardian*'s review credited Awkwafina as an energetic, compelling performer, particularly in physical comedy, while finding the plot thin[5](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jan/21/awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens-review-comedy-central).
The series is frequently discussed in the context of Asian American representation on television. When *Fresh Off the Boat* ended its six-season run in February 2020, *Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens* was described as the only other U.S. series with a mostly Asian cast[8](https://epub.stripes.com/docs/GSS_GSS_210220/GSS_GSS_210220.pdf). Commentators have grouped it with shows such as *Beef* and *Never Have I Ever* as featuring Asian American characters with a broad range of characteristics[9](https://asamnews.com/2026/08/20/cbs-cupertino-asian-american-representation-run-the-burbs/).
## References
1. [Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/awkwafina_is_nora_from_queens/s01)
2. [Awkwafina is Nora From Queens, Paramount Global Content](https://paramountglobalcontent.com/title/awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens)
3. [Comedy Central announces Awkwafina is Nora From Queens season 2, Paramount Press Express](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/comedy-central/releases/?view=104048-press-comedy-central-announces-awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens-season-2)
4. [Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens, Season 3, TheTVDB.com](https://thetvdb.com/series/awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens/seasons/official/3)
5. [Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens review, The Guardian (Adrian Horton, January 21, 2020)](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jan/21/awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens-review-comedy-central)
6. [Awkwafina Takes the Asian-American Entertainment Renaissance to New Heights in Nora From Queens, Time (Judy Berman, January 16, 2020)](https://time.com/5766193/awkwafina-nora-from-queens-review/)
7. [Awkwafina is Nora From Queens press release, Paramount Press Express (September 9, 2019)](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/comedy-central/releases/?view=104043-press-awkwafina-is-nora-from-queens)
8. [Stripes Grace Special Section (February 2021)](https://epub.stripes.com/docs/GSS_GSS_210220/GSS_GSS_210220.pdf)
9. [What 2 shows say about the representation gap, AsAmNews](https://asamnews.com/2026/08/20/cbs-cupertino-asian-american-representation-run-the-burbs/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy series › Family and household sitcoms › Contemporary family sitcoms*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license