Little America Review: To Walk A Mile In Someone Else’s Shoes
There is an important lesson in remembering what others go through. With Little America, the Apple TV+ show, the lesson comes through the championing of immigrants as they find their purpose in remarkable stories of struggle and prosperity. It’s a beautiful, endearing show, one that never loses sight of its fascinating characters.
The half-hour anthology series digs into cultures that sometimes do not have a voice on television, allowing those voices to have power and to show how diversity is an unbelievably important touchstone for America. The Lee Eisenberg, Kumail Nanjiani, and Emily V. Gordon show is also careful never to gloss over the hardships that come with being an immigrant, how different lives can be in a new circumstance.
Because Little America isn’t always about optimism; the show isn’t afraid to reveal the difficulties and the struggles of everyday life, how easy it is for things to change or how easy it is for potential failure. It’s done in a way where it allows for characters to flourish and rise up against their difficulties, and become who they are meant to be.
The hardships are life lessons, in the end, stepping stones to American life and to prospering. It’s where the show gains so much emotional resonance, as these struggles are as real as any other. The themes resonate in smart, relatable manners, where universal truths, no matter one’s background, will find their way into your heart.
Each story’s hook is one of attaining a dream, whether they’re big or small, and how both are one and the same. The scale of the dream can be any size, as Little America makes sure each character’s struggle to attain those dreams are always equally important, episode-to-episode.
At the end, surprisingly, there isn’t a weak link of the eight episodes, as they each bring such pathos and humanity forward that are integral to the larger story of Little America.
Episodes like “The Silence,” where its design is all about internalizing the desires of its lead (played wonderfully by Melanie Laurent); or “The Cowboy,” where identity and finding one’s place comes as its own form of acceptance; even “The Grand Prize Expo Winners,” an episode about a family vacation, manages to break through and say something deeply moving about loneliness and abandonment.
Each episode opens with a reminder that it’s inspired by true stories, and by episode’s end, there’s a deep satisfaction in showing the true story on screen. It really is inspiring, where the triumph of optimism is something that makes Little America important not only as another great example of Apple’s programming, but through its giving of hope when it’s needed the most.
The cast is full of astounding talent, with touching performances from Conphidance, Jearnest Corchado, Shaun Toub, Angela Lin, and Kemiyondo Coutinho, among many others. They all bring such vulnerability and love to their roles that makes everything else around them shine just a little bit more.
The writing is deserving of special mention, as each episode manages to feel unique and never loses focus of its ideals, cleverly balancing hard moments with moments of genuine heart and laughter.
The filmmaking, as well, is a combination of playful and glossy, a continuing theme on Apple shows. It works wonders here, finding a happy medium where it’s never flashy or losing what’s truly important: the story and the characters.
Little America is full of heart and hope, a much-needed reminder of how diversity and culture are beacons of strength. This show is a positive force, an enthusiastic triumph, and will hopefully bring forward more voices of optimism as a shining example of how emotionally powerful goodness can be.
What did you think of this season of Little America? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
Little America premieres Friday, January 17 on Apple TV+.
Follow us on Twitter and on 
Instagram!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Kevin Lever
Kevin Lever has been following television closely for most of his life, but in starting to cover it, he has grown a further appreciation. He strives to give the blockbusters their due, and give the lesser known shows a spotlight to find more fans.