Nicole Kidman leads the cast of the new Prime Video drama.
Kicking off the year, Prime Video‘s January releases boast some new series but most excitingly, Expats – the adaptation of international bestseller The Expatriates by Janice YK Lee.
The series is set to premiere later this month, premiering with the first two episodes and favouring a weekly release thereafter, which will likely only add to the drama for viewers.
Set in Hong Kong in 2014, Expats follows three American women whose lives intersect after a sudden family tragedy. Leading the cast of the series is none other than Oscar award-winning Nicole Kidman (Big Little Lies) who stars as Margaret, while Sarayu Blue and Ji-young Yoo star as Hilary and Mercy.
At the helm of this series is Lulu Wang (The Farewell) who has not only written and created the series but also serves as director and executive producer alongside Kidman and Daniele Tate Melia.
With the new trailer for the series having been released a couple of weeks ago, it’s given fans a glimpse of what we can expect in the series – but when is it being released? Read on for everything you need to know about Expats.
Expats release date
The new series will be made up of six episodes and will premiere on Prime Video on Friday 26th January with the first two episodes.
Episodes will then be released weekly every Friday on Prime Video, with the finale set to be released on Friday 23rd February.
Expats cast: Who stars in the Prime Video series?
The series is led by a cast of stellar female talent, with Kidman (The Undoing) leading alongside Sarayu Blue (Never Have I Ever, Blockers) and Ji-young Yoo (The Sky Is Everywhere, Smoking Tigers).
Other actors in the series include Brian Tee (Chicago Med) as Kidman’s onscreen husband Clarke, while Jack Huston (House of Gucci) stars as David, Hilary’s husband.
The full cast list for Expats is as follows:
- Nicole Kidman as Margaret
- Ji-young Yoo as Mercy
- Sarayu Blue as Hilary Starr
- Jack Huston as David Starr
- Brian Tee as Clarke
- Flora Chan as Olive
- Ruby Ruiz as Essie
- Will Or
- Bonde Sham Lok Yi
What is Expats about?
The series is based on the internationally bestselling novel, The Expatriates by Janice YK Lee, and centres on one cataclysmic event that happens to a small group of American women who have moved to Hong Kong in differing circumstances.
After the event, the women are left to confront their own ideas of blame and accountability, with the series set to tackle themes around class, wealth and more.
In the recently released trailer, we get an insight into the different lives of the women, with Margaret enjoying a privileged life with extra help in Hong Kong but yearning for life “back home”. Hilary confides in Margaret that her marriage is falling apart, not really knowing why she remains in Hong Kong when her husband hardly spends any time with her.
And finally, Mercy is a 24-year-old who has moved to Hong Kong for a fresh start but can’t seem to move past a terrible mistake she’s made in her past. The thing the three women do have in common, though, is the fact that they’re all part of the privileged subsection of Hong Kong expats.
The official series synopsis reads: “Set against the vibrant and tumultuous tapestry of 2014 Hong Kong, Expats centres on three American women – Margaret (Nicole Kidman), Hilary (Sarayu Blue), and Mercy (Ji-young Yoo) – whose lives intersect after a sudden family tragedy.
“The series interrogates privilege and explores what happens when the line between victimhood and culpability becomes blurred. Brian Tee plays Margaret’s husband Clarke and Jack Huston plays Hilary’s husband David.”
Is there a trailer for Expats?
There is! The trailer gives us a glimpse of the life-changing event in question and teases what tensions could be in store for the women and their loved ones.
Watch the trailer below.
Expats premieres on Prime Video on Friday 26th January with the first two episodes. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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