Bowen Yang is not only the breakout star of Saturday Night Live, where he’s hilariously embodied everything from a downed Chinese spy balloon to a Ron DeSantis-roasting gay Jafar, but he’s also one of the stars of Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, a Comedy Central series from Awkwafina (real name: Nora Lum) based on her life growing up as an Asian American in Queens, New York. Yang plays Edmund, Nora’s cousin who, like Nora, has been raised by her father (BD Wong) and grandmother (Lori Tai Chinn). Edmund, like his underminer Nora, has dreams of acting stardom, and finally lands his dream role in a TV police procedural — a nod to BD Wong’s celebrated turn as forensic psychologist/FBI agent George Huang on Law & Order: SVU.
“We are big fans of the Law & Order franchise (shoutout to BD on SVU) and how it’s been a staple of television in NYC,” explains Nora co-creator Teresa Hsiao. “We thought it would be fun to do a modern, more campy take on the show to highlight that Edmund is having some success now, to Nora’s chagrin. Hey, maybe this will inspire Dick Wolf to do another spinoff!”
In the exclusive clip below, Edmund — in dark shorts — rolls up on Detective Johnson (Jai Rodriguez) at a New York City crime scene to tell him that the piece of evidence he’s inspecting is actually “a dick bone.”
The two then surreptitiously flirt, referring to “that night” that they made love in the back of a squad car as theatergoers were coming out of a show. They almost share a kiss, only to “get back to work,” before, in a surprise twist, Edmund reveals that the dick bone belongs to someone close to him. It’s terribly funny and played to perfection by Yang. The credits for Love & Order roll, and Edmund’s family, who have all gathered together to watch his big TV acting debut, congratulate him — even Nora, who is green with jealousy, and Brenda (Jennifer Esposito), the girlfriend of BD Wong’s father.
“This was actually the first time we shot the whole family together plus Brenda, so it felt extra special,” says Hsiao. “Anytime you can get Nora, BD, Lori, Bowen and Jennifer all in one room and riffing is a good day! And we always love it when Edmund gets to be smug over Nora.”