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6 Simu Liu Movies & TV Shows To Watch After Marvel’s Shang-Chi
Whatever you call Simu Liu, don’t call him an overnight success.
Simu Liu has finally gotten his big break. The 32-year-old Chinese Canadian actor is on the brink of becoming a globally recognized star thanks to his titular role in Marvel Studios’ latest superhero film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. With the part, Liu becomes the first actor of Asian descent to lead a Marvel movie, making him a trailblazer in addition to a budding megastar. But this success didn’t happen overnight. Like most other actors, Liu spent years building up a résumé with a number of film and television roles. Looking back at his career through now, there’s quite an impressive lineup of Simu Liu movies and TV shows to stream.
If you’re looking to stream some Simu Liu movies, specifically, before watching Shang-Chi, your options are unfortunately limited. Liu’s pre-Marvel Hollywood film career consists of only a role as an extra in Pacific Rim and a part in the 2021 indie drama Women Is Losers, which debuted at this year’s SXSW and has yet to find a distributor, meaning it can’t be streamed anywhere. Luckily, though, there are ample opportunities to stream Simu Liu’s robust TV career, so have a look below at the best places to find him online.
Kim’s Convenience
Prior to landing the role of Shang-Chi, this Canadian comedy series constituted Liu’s best-known role. The acclaimed sitcom depicts a Korean Canadian family who operates a convenience store in Toronto. Liu plays the role of Jung Kim, the semi-estranged eldest child of shop owners “Appa” and “Umma” who works at a car rental company. He appears in all 65 of the series’ episodes across five seasons and gets to show off his comedic side throughout. You can stream the entire series on Netflix.
Taken: Season 1
If you’re not much for international shows and prefer good old-fashioned network TV, then there’s a chance you may have seen a much more serious side of Liu on NBC back in 2017. Liu had a recurring role in the first season of action-drama Taken, a spinoff of the popular film series starring Liam Neeson (Neeson is not in the series, sadly). Liu plays Faaron, a member of the CIA team that assists lead character Bryan Mills (Clive Standen) on his many rescue missions. Liu only appeared in season one of the series, and the show was canceled after the Liu-free second season. Coincidence? Buy it on Amazon and see for yourself.
The Expanse: “Dandelion Sky”
Over the past handful of years, Liu has had single-episode guest spots on some pretty high-profile TV shows, one of which was in Season 3 of this highly-acclaimed sci-fi drama. Liu plays Lieutenant Paolo Mayer in the episode, a Martian Marine stationed on the MCRN Xuesen. He becomes Bobbie Draper’s (Frankie Adams) new commanding officer in the episode, and, without spoiling things, let’s just say that he gets involved in some pretty thrilling confrontations. Season 3 was the final season of The Expanse to air on Syfy before Amazon rescued the show, and you can check out “Dandelion Sky” (and the rest of the series’ five seasons and counting) on Prime Video.
Fresh Off The Boat: “Under The Taipei Sun”
In case you couldn’t tell from his starring role in Kim’s Convenience, Simu Liu has some serious comedy chops (you can expect plenty of laughs in Shang-Chi, too). He got the chance to show some of those skills off in the landmark 100th episode of ABC’s popular Asian American family sitcom. In the episode, Liu portrays a noodle vendor in Taipei named Willie who helps a lost Eddie (Hudson Yang) after he becomes separated from his cultural exchange program group. You can watch the hilarity ensue on Hulu.
Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens: “Grandma & Chill”
Liu’s latest live-action TV appearance is in yet another Asian-led sitcom, but this time, he’s showing off his abs more than his comedic timing (though he is still funny in it). Appearing in his Shang-Chi co-star Awkwafina’s comedy central series Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, Liu portrays the hunky “Garbage Boy” in a flashback K-Drama-style story that centers on a love triangle involving Nora’s grandmother (Jamie Chung) in her youth. The episode is rare in American pop culture in that it centers on “hot Asian masculinity,” executive producer Teresa Hsiao told EW. And judging from the number of thirst traps he posts to Instagram, Liu was likely very happy to contribute. All episodes of Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens are now streaming on HBO Max.
Pacific Rim
If you’re really trying to catch all of Liu’s past work, look for him as an extra in Pacific Rim. Rent it on Amazon and see if you can spot him. After Shang-Chi, small movie roles like this will be a thing of the past for Liu.
With Shang-Chi in theaters, Liu is ready to take the world by storm, so don’t sleep on his early movie and TV projects!
