What to Watch During 2024 AAPI Heritage Month

Read Time: 4 min.

April 29, 2024

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebrates strength, resilience, and inclusion. Optimum honors the sacrifices made for inclusion by highlighting the stories featuring and/or made by the AAPI community. Through this list of both classic and new stories, we hope we can all learn about the importance of diversity.

You can honor AAPI Heritage Month from your couch at home with your loved ones and favorite snacks. From comedy to drama to romance and more, the following list of must-watch films and series is a great place to start this May.

18. Fourth Down and Love (Hallmark Channel)

Sparks are reignited when a single mother and a pro football player coincidentally meet again on her daughter's flag football field after his career is interrupted by a sports injury. Stars Pascale Hutton and Ryan Paevey. Premieres May 24 at 6p.

17. Shifting Gears (Hallmark Channel)

After female mechanic Jess reluctantly agrees to participate in a car restoration show, she is shocked to learn that her ex-boyfriend, Luke, is her main competitor. Will sparks reignite? Stars Tyler Hynes and Katherine Barrell. Premieres May 13 at 9p.

16. Searching (STARZ)

After his teenage daughter goes missing, a desperate father tries to find clues on her laptop. (2018, starring John Cho)

15. Family History Mysteries: Buried Past (Hallmark Mystery)

Genealogist Sophie McClaren is an expert at bringing families together. When her close friend Jonathan urgently needs to find a bone marrow donor, the case becomes personal. Stars Janel Parrish and Niall Matter.

14. To Be Takei (VOD)

A hilarious and moving look at legendary actor/activist and pop culture icon George Takei, who has conquered new frontiers from outer space to Capitol Hill with his trademark grin. Oh, my! HD Version.

13. Pretty Little Liars: Summer School (MAX)

In 1999, a group of friends is rocked by the sudden death of one of their own. Twenty-two years later, their daughters are pushed together by a mysterious foe.

12. Joy Ride (STARZ)

Follows four Asian American friends as they bond and discover the truth of what it means to know and love who you are, while they travel through China in search of one of their birth mothers. (2023, starring an all-Asian cast: Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu)

11. Two Tickets to Paradise (Hallmark Channel)

When two weddings are ruined by both the bride and groom getting left at the altar, they still decide to take their honeymoons, not knowing they are heading to the same resort in Hawaii. Stars Ashley Williams and Ryan Paevey. Premieres Saturday, May 18 at 6p.

10. The Sex Life of College Girls (MAX)

From Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, this series follows four lovably chaotic suitemates at Vermont’s prestigious Essex College.

9. The 355 (STARZ)

When a top-secret weapon falls into mercenary hands, a wild-card C.I.A. agent joins forces with three international agents on a mission to retrieve it, while staying a step ahead of a mysterious woman who’s tracking their every move. (2022, starring an ensemble cast including Bingbing Fan)

8. Big Hero 6 (VOD)

When a devastating turn of events throws Hiro into the middle of a dangerous plot, he transforms his robot, Baymax, and his other friends into a band of high-tech heroes. HD Version.

7. The Sympathizer (MAX)

Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen's novel, this series follows a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy in the final days of the Vietnam War.

6. The Joy Luck Club (VOD)

The life histories of four Asian women and their daughters reflect and guide each other. HD Version.

5. The Goonies (AMC)

A group of young misfits called The Goonies discover an ancient map and set out on an adventure to find a legendary pirate's long-lost treasure.

4. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (MAX)

Aquaman forges an unlikely alliance with his imprisoned brother, Orm, to stop Black Manta and the mythic Black Trident.

3. John Wick: Chapter 4 (STARZ)

John Wick uncovers a path to defeating The High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes. (2023, Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Aimée Kwan, Hiroyuki Sanada)

2. Mulan (VOD)

Mulan proves her worth outside of her tradition-bound society when she bravely saves her father's life by disguising herself as a male soldier and taking his place in the Imperial Army. HD Version.

1. Tokyo Vice (MAX)

Loosely inspired by the work of Jake Adelstein, this crime drama follows an American journalist as he descends into the underbelly of late '90s Tokyo.