The Expatriates


The Expatriates is an upcoming American drama web television series based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Janice Y.K. Lee that is set to premiere on Amazon Video.

Premise

The Expatriates follows "the vibrant lives of a close-knit expatriate community: where affluence is celebrated, friendships are intense but knowingly temporary, and personal lives, deaths and marriages are played out publicly—then retold with glee."

Production

Development

On February 7, 2017, it was reported that Blossom Films had optioned the screen rights to Janice Y.K. Lee's novel The Expatriates with the intention of developing it into a television series. Alice Bell was attached to write the adaptation. Executive producers were expected to consist of Nicole Kidman, Per Saari, and Theresa Park with Lee set to serve as a consulting producer. Alongside Blossom Films, production companies involved with the production were slated to include POW! Productions. On July 28, 2018, it was announced that Amazon had given the production a series order. On January 11, 2019, it was announced that Melanie Marnich had joined Bell as co-showrunner and executive producer for the series. In December 2019, it was announced Lulu Wang would serve as an executive producer on the series, as well as serve as a writer and direct multiple episodes.

Casting

Alongside the initial development announcement, it was reported that Nicole Kidman would potentially star in the series. However, Kidman will only serve as an executive producer on the series.