NBC is developing an all-Asian family drama roughly based on Samsung corporate heirs

NBC is teaming up with Sleepy Hollow showrunner Albert Kim to create a family drama with a nearly all-Asian cast, as first reported by The Hollywood Reporter. The drama is roughly based on companies like Samsung that are run by single families, which often erupt in turmoil when a new heir must be picked. Multiple networks had their eyes on Kim’s untitled drama, but NBC ultimately won the bidding war.

The not-yet-named drama is about a family-owned Korean electronics company. On the eve of launching the company’s American subsidiary, the CEO dies, leaving a will that designates a mysterious heir — an ordinary Asian American woman who never knew she was a corporate heiress. She then must vie with her recently discovered siblings for the inheritance.

The show is significant because it’s tackling relatively unexplored material: the chaebols, or rich heirs, of South Korea. It’s also notable for being the first drama on network television with a nearly all-Asian cast. The only other nearly all-Asian show on network TV right now is ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat, a sitcom about a Taiwanese immigrant family living in Florida.

Kim is the lead writer and executive producer of the family drama, joined by Dan Lin, who has produced movies like 2009’s Sherlock Holmes and 2017’s It. The upcoming series is being produced under Lin Pictures, which has the backing of Warner Bros.

Kim tweeted last night to confirm the news:

The series is still in early development and doesn’t yet have a pilot order.