Deadline released an exclusive report stating HBO and JuVee Production will be teaming up to produce comedy House of Chow from Ken Cheng. The comedy will about siblings realizing the only way to rekindle their relationship is by reviving their family’s Chinese restaurant. The series is based on Cheng’s experience growing up in a restaurant kitchen.
JuVee Production is actress Viola Davis and her husband Julius Tennon’s production company. Davis and Tennon will serve as executive producers on the show. Cheng, who wrote the pilot, will also serve as executive producer on the show, along with Andrew Wang, Head of TV Development at JuVee Production.
Davis and Tenon released a statement that emphasized JuVee’s commitment to “bring voice to the voiceless and provide elevated content for people of color. House of Chow is a part of that mission. We are beyond excited at its universal appeal and its fierce artistic merit.”
Cheng is also in the middle of developing a dramedy called Electric Road for TBS. He also developed coming-of-age comedy Neon Youth on Netflix. Cheng called House of Chow is personal passion project.
“I’m so excited to work with HBO, JuVee, and Jude on such a personal passion project,” Cheng said. “We hope our series can highlight the importance of the Chinese restaurant as the uniquely American cultural institution it is, right next to baseball, systemic racism and Coachella. We can’t wait to get started, which we plan to do by eating our way through every Chinese restaurant in Los Angeles in the name of research.”
While the show takes place in a “hole-in-the-wall restaurant with a B-grade on the window,” according to Deadline, the comedy will explore themes such as family, culture, sex and food. By delving into the daily lives of first-generation blue-collar Americans, who have immigrated, Cheng will share a heartwarming comedy series on HBO.
“As an immigrant who grew up in a Chinese American diner, the opportunity to direct stories about cuisine and identity is creatively meaningful. With Ken Cheng’s inimitable voice, JuVee’s guidance, and HBO’s reputation for nurturing iconic characters, it is a formidable partnership I’m proud to be a part of,” Weng said.