# Little America (TV series)

Little America is an American anthology television series produced for Apple TV+. It premiered on January 17, 2020. The series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on December 9, 2022.

## Premise

Little America looks to "go beyond the headlines to look at the funny, romantic, heartfelt, inspiring and unexpected lives of immigrants in America, at a time when their stories are more relevant than ever."

## Cast
### The Manager

* Suraj Sharma as Kabir
** Eshan Inamdar as young Kabir
*** Ishan Gandhi as preteen Kabir
* Sherilyn Fenn as Laura Bush
* Priyanka Bose as Kabir's Mother

### The Jaguar

* Jearnest Corchado as Marisol
* Melinna Bobadilla as Gloria
* John Ortiz as Squash Coach
* Jamie Gore Pawlik as Charlotte Ansley
* Chelsea Patricia Ramirez as Shirley

### The Cowboy

* Conphidance as Iwegbuna
* Tom McCarthy as Professor Robbins
* Chinaza Uche as Chioke
* Ebbe Bassey as Mma Udeh

### The Silence

* Mélanie Laurent as Sylviane
* Zachary Quinto as Spiritual Leader
* Bill Heck as Jack
* Gavin Lee as Henry

### The Baker

* Kemiyondo Coutinho as Beatrice
* Innocent Ekakitie as Brian
* Susan Basemera as Yuliana
* Philip Luswata as Beatrice's Father

### The Grand Prize Expo Winners

* Angela Lin as Ai
* X. Lee as Bo
* Madeleine Chang as Cheng

### The Rock

* Shaun Toub as Faraz
* Shila Vosough Ommi as Yasmin
* Justin Ahdoot as Behrad

### The Son

* Haaz Sleiman as Rafiq
* Adam Ali as Zain
* Fahim Fazli as Taliban commander

### The 9th Caller

* Isuri Wijesundara as Sachini

## Episodes

Series overview :
| Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| 1 | 8 | 8 | January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17) | January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17) |
| 2 | 8 | 8 | December 9, 2022 (2022-12-09) | December 9, 2022 (2022-12-09) |

### Season 1 (2020)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Teleplay by | Original release date |
| 1 | 1 | "The Manager" | Deepa Mehta | Rajiv Joseph | January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17) |
| 2 | 2 | "The Jaguar" | Aurora Guerrero | Dan LeFranc | January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17) |
| 3 | 3 | "The Cowboy" | Bharat Nalluri | Story by : Janicza Bravo & Brian Savelson Teleplay by : Brian Savelson & Mfoniso Udofia | January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17) |
| 4 | 4 | "The Silence" | Sian Heder | Sian Heder | January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17) |
| 5 | 5 | "The Baker" | Chioke Nassor | Casallina Kisakye | January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17) |
| 6 | 6 | "The Grand Prize Expo Winners" | Tze Chun | Tze Chun | January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17) |
| 7 | 7 | "The Rock" | Nima Nourizadeh | Lee Eisenberg & Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani | January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17) |
| 8 | 8 | "The Son" | Stephen Dunn | Amrou Al-Kadhi & Stephen Dunn | January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17) |

### Season 2 (2022)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Teleplay by | Original release date |
| 9 | 1 | "Mr. Song" | Deepa Mehta | Teleplay by : Sian Heder & Alan Yang Story by : Jenny Zhang & Sian Heder | December 9, 2022 (2022-12-09) |
| 10 | 2 | "The Bra Whisperer" | Tara Miele | Mfoniso Udofia | December 9, 2022 (2022-12-09) |
| 11 | 3 | "The 9th Caller" | Tinge Krishnan | Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani | December 9, 2022 (2022-12-09) |
| 12 | 4 | "Camel on a Stick" | Sunu Gonera | Lee Eisenberg & Idil Ibrahim | December 9, 2022 (2022-12-09) |
| 13 | 5 | "Space Door" | Darya Zhuk | Darya Zhuk & Erika Sheffer | December 9, 2022 (2022-12-09) |
| 14 | 6 | "Columbus Starlings LLC" | Diane Paragas | Naomi Brodkin & Ali Liebegott | December 9, 2022 (2022-12-09) |
| 15 | 7 | "Paper Piano" | Aron Gaudet & Gita Pullapilly | Brian Savelson | December 9, 2022 (2022-12-09) |
| 16 | 8 | "The Indoor Arm" | Patricia Riggen | Joe Hortua | December 9, 2022 (2022-12-09) |

## Production

On February 8, 2018, it was announced that Apple was developing a television series based on the true stories collection "Little America" featured in Epic Magazine. The show was set to be written by Lee Eisenberg, Kumail Nanjiani, and Emily V. Gordon, all of whom also executive produced alongside Sian Heder, Alan Yang, Joshuah Bearman, and Joshua Davis. Arthur Spector acted as co-executive producer. The series was showrun by Lee Eisenberg and Sian Heder. Production companies involved with the series include Universal Television. On June 19, 2018, it was announced that Apple had given the production a series order. The show began filming in New Jersey in early 2019; however, the eighth episode of the first season, "The Son" (which is about a gay asylum seeker from Syria), was shot in the Canadian province of Quebec because the American Executive Order 13780 prevented some of its actors from being able to enter the United States for filming.
The series was renewed for a second season in December 2019, prior to the series premiere. The second season premiered on December 9, 2022, with an eight episode season.

## Reception
### Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 95% based on 37 reviews, with an average rating of 8.92/10. The site's critics' consensus is, "Joyous, heartfelt, and very human, Little America's thoughtful collection of immigrant tales is as inspirational as it is relatable." The second season has an approval rating of 100% based on 10 reviews. On Metacritic, the series has a score of 85 out of 100 based on 26 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".
The Atlantic's Hannah Giorgis wrote of the first season, "Its ambitions aren't flashy, but Little America leads with a clear investment in the kinds of people often relegated to the background of other shows. It's a smart, empathetic choice—one that benefits both Apple and viewers." Brian Lowry of CNN said, "The subjects vary, but almost without exception the stories are quirky yet resonant, emotional and relatable, with a sweet (or occasionally slightly bittersweet) payoff."
Reviewing the second season, Craig Matheson of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote, "Just over a half hour in length, these new episodes have a modest but enduring insight and empathy". RogerEbert.com's Clint Worthington wrote, "in its unassuming nature and casual confidence, not to mention the heartwarming humanism of its stories, it might be one of the streamer's greatest secret weapons."

### Accolades

| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
| 2020 | Imagen Foundation Awards | Best Primetime Program – Comedy | Little America | Nominated |
| 2020 | Imagen Foundation Awards | Best Director – Television | Aurora Guerrero | Nominated |
| 2020 | Imagen Foundation Awards | Best Actress – Television | Jearnest Corchado | Won |
| 2020 | Imagen Foundation Awards | Best Supporting Actor – Television | John Ortiz | Won |
| 2020 | Location Managers Guild Awards | Outstanding Locations in a Limited Anthology Television Series | Michael Hartel, Rocco Nisivoccia and Adrian Knight | Won |
| 2021 | British Academy Television Awards | Best International Programme | Little America | Nominated |
| 2021 | GLAAD Media Awards | Special Recognition | “The Son” | Won |
| 2021 | Independent Spirit Awards | Best New Scripted Series | Little America | Nominated |
| 2021 | Independent Spirit Awards | Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series | Conphidance | Nominated |
| 2021 | Independent Spirit Awards | Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series | Adam Ali | Nominated |
| 2021 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series | Lee Eisenberg, Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V, Gordon (for "The Rock") | Nominated |
| 2021 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series | Rajiv Joseph (for "The Manager") | Nominated |
| 2021 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series | Aurora Guerrero (for "The Jaguar") | Nominated |