---
title: "Little America"
year: 2020
kind: "series"
canonical: "https://film.one/tv/little-america"
fi1m_id: "little-america"
imdb_id: "tt8000674"
tmdb_id: 80336
wikidata_id: "Q55621065"
fi1m_score: 82
critics_score: 85
critics_reviews: 8
published: "2026-10-07T18:58:30.087336+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-07T18:58:35.735020+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Little America (2020)

Created by Lee Eisenberg · MPA TV-14 · Drama, Comedy

## Identity

Little America

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/little-america
- **Type:** Series
- **Fi1m ID:** little-america
- **IMDb ID:** tt8000674
- **TMDB ID:** 80336
- **Wikidata ID:** Q55621065
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8000674/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/80336, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55621065

**Fi1m score: 82** · Critics 85 from 8 reviews

*In a sentence:* A motel manager with a life to live, not just a lesson to teach

> We recommend *Little America* for the patience it gives its immigrant characters and the feeling it finds in ordinary work and family life. Its occasional insistence on reassurance is the small but persistent catch.

## Synopsis

The opening story of *Little America* follows Kabir (Suraj Sharma), whose life centres on a motel in America. Sarita (Priyanka Bose) and Krishan (Ravi Kapoor) also feature, while Ishan Gandhi and Eshan Inamdar play Kabir as a child. Keeping the motel going supplies the immediate task in an anthology about immigrants making lives in the United States. Each episode takes up a separate story, bringing work, family responsibilities and personal hopes into focus. There is no single continuing lead: the programme moves on to other people and other efforts to find a place in America.

## Review

We recommend *Little America*, a warm, attentive anthology with an occasional weakness for telling us things will be all right. Created by Lee Eisenberg, it gives immigrant lives room for work, family friction and humour without treating every character as a representative case. Its strongest stories make us interested in what someone is doing before asking what that person might mean to America. The motel-manager opening establishes that approach, and the series is usually wise enough to keep its attention on individual lives.

Kabir, played by Suraj Sharma, gives that opening an immediate practical concern: a motel to run. We were moved by his story because the responsibilities of the business make his difficulties feel like someone’s daily life. There is a danger in this material of admiring a person’s persistence so insistently that we stop noticing the person. The episode largely avoids it, although its eagerness to offer encouragement is an early warning of a habit that will recur.

Deepa Mehta’s direction of *The Manager* helps: the transitions keep the story moving without making each change feel like another lesson. The photography across the series, with Jonathan Furmanski and Paula Huidobro among the cinematographers, gives the performers welcome attention. That intimacy matters when a story has limited time to establish a life and make its pressures felt. The visual approach supports the acting without making these ordinary experiences seem small.

The editing team includes Hilda Rasula and Janet Weinberg, and the short-story format is generally handled with assurance. The episodes make room for humour alongside hardship without an awkward pause to explain the change. The second season’s attention to immigrant family relationships is particularly rewarding in this respect. We can recognise affection and frustration together, and the performances allow both feelings to exist without insisting that one must win the scene.

The weakness is that some instalments seem anxious about leaving us discouraged. Individual determination can start to look like an adequate answer to problems the stories themselves suggest are much larger. We do not need every episode to become a discussion of policy, but the preference for personal progress sometimes makes the obstacles feel easier to overcome than they should. Lee Eisenberg’s series is most persuasive when it lets a difficult experience remain difficult; the extra reassurance is sometimes intrusive.

Within television’s anthology format, the achievement is how readily these separate lives hold our attention without a continuing plot to pull us into the next episode. The first season and the second each contain eight episodes, giving the programme space to change its emphasis while keeping a recognisable warmth. There are variations in force and subtlety, but little sense of an episode existing merely to fill its allotted space. Even when the optimism is overdone, the interest in how people manage their lives feels sincere.

This is good company for an evening when patience with other people is in short supply. The comedy helps, and the tenderness is usually earned before the programme asks us to notice it. Try an episode at a time, and allow the people to linger before the next story arrives.

*Fi1m score 82, published 7 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

The reviews are uniformly positive about Little America, with praise centred on its intimate, humane accounts of immigrant lives. Most critics value the anthology’s attention to individual people and its ability to balance hardship with humour, joy and complicated family relationships. Across both seasons, the storytelling is praised for making those experiences emotionally immediate without reducing the characters to examples. Direction and camerawork also draw praise, while the second-season performances of Alan Kim and Phylicia Rashad receive particular notice.

The differences concern how convincingly the series sustains that nuance. The Hollywood Reporter finds some stories too focused on individual triumph at the expense of larger political struggles. The Ringer also detects forced positivity in certain episodes, despite admiring the anthology’s coherence. Vulture questions the end cards stressing the stories’ real-life origins. These are reservations within a fairly narrow, favourable spread, rather than signs of a substantial critical divide.

## Straight answers

**Is Little America worth watching?**

*Little America* is worth watching for its patient, funny attention to immigrant work and family life, and we score it 82 out of 100. We recommend it especially for an episode-at-a-time evening, with the reservation that some stories push reassurance too hard and make difficult obstacles seem easier to overcome than they should.

**How long is Little America, and what is it rated?**

*Little America* is rated TV-14 by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and comedy series.

**Where can I watch Little America in the US?**

*Little America* is streaming on Apple TV, The Roku Channel and Amazon Prime Video in the US. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Little America, and is it suitable for children?**

*Little America* carries a UK 12 certificate and a US TV-14 rating, making it a more appropriate choice for teenagers than younger children. Those ratings indicate material that may need parental judgement, but do not by themselves establish how violent or frightening it is; we cannot give a specific warning about either.

**How does Little America compare to The Farewell?**

*Little America* offers separate immigrant stories with warmth and humour, while [*The Farewell*](https://film.one/film/the-farewell) concentrates on one family’s painful deception; we recommend both for allowing affection and exasperation to coexist. We favour the series for short, self-contained viewing and the film for a sustained family drama, though both sometimes make their explanations or reassurances too tidy.

**What should I watch after Little America?**

After *Little America*, try [*The Farewell*](https://film.one/film/the-farewell) (2019, Fi1m 84): Family affection and exasperation coexist, without either becoming a lecture. Then [*The Lunchbox*](https://film.one/film/the-lunchbox) (2013, Fi1m 75): Another patient drama that finds feeling in ordinary routines and tentative connections; and [*My Beautiful Laundrette*](https://film.one/film/my-beautiful-laundrette) (1985, Fi1m 85): For sharper humour about work, belonging and the trouble caused by relatives.

### Reviews we read (8)

- **The AV Club**, Saloni Gajjar (A-): The critic finds the second season moving, profound, and consistently strong. She especially praises its nuanced portrayal of immigrant family dynamics and the way it balances hardship with joy. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/little-america-season-2-review-apple-tv-comedy-1849843984)
- **The Guardian**, Lucy Mangan (90/100, inferred): Mangan finds the anthology timely, absorbing, and quietly radical in its humane treatment of immigrant lives. She praises its intimate storytelling for making individual people vivid and resisting easy demonisation. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jan/17/little-america-review-eight-immigrant-stories-make-for-truly-radical-tv)
- **Vulture**, Kathryn VanArendonk (90/100, inferred): The critic says the anthology is a rare success, delivering emotionally complex stories that she absolutely loved. She praises its nuanced treatment of immigrant lives, though she questions the end cards emphasizing the stories’ real-life origins. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2020/01/little-america-apple-tv-review.html)
- **IndieWire**, Ben Travers (B+): Travers finds the season heartwarming, engaging, and informative, calling it Apple TV+’s first unconditionally good show. He singles out its story-first approach and praises Deepa Mehta’s clever transitions in “The Manager.” [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/little-america-review-apple-tv-plus-kumail-nanjiani-1202201834/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Inkoo Kang (80/100, inferred): Kang calls the series Apple TV+’s first great show, while noting that some stories lean too heavily on individual triumph and avoid larger political struggles. She especially praises the motel-manager premiere and Syrian-refugee finale for their gentle strength and resistance to easy happy endings. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/little-america-review-1268518/)
- **Paste**, Katherine Smith (9.3): Smith praises the season as empathetic, richly textured storytelling that celebrates the complexity of American identity. She especially singles out the direction and camerawork for making the characters’ emotional experiences feel immediate. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/little-america/little-america-season-2-review)
- **Consequence**, Mary Siroky (80/100, inferred): Siroky finds the second season a welcome, optimistic return that newcomers can enjoy too. She praises its grounded, intimate stories and especially strong performances, including Alan Kim and Phylicia Rashad. [Read](https://consequence.net/2022/11/little-america-season-2-review-apple-tv-plus/)
- **The Ringer**, Alison Herman (75/100, inferred): Herman finds the anthology engaging and promising, with a focused vision that allows its varied stories to feel connected. She singles out “The Cowboy” for its deft cultural connections, while noting that some episodes, including Kabir’s, stumble into forced positivity. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2020/01/17/tv/little-america-review-apple-tv-plus)

## Details

- **Created by:** Lee Eisenberg
- **Creator:** Lee Eisenberg
- **Director:** Deepa Mehta, Sunu Gonera, Patricia Riggen, Tinge Krishnan, Aron Gaudet, Bharat Nalluri, Tara Miele, Diane Paragas, Gita Pullapilly, Nima Nourizadeh, Siân Héder, Tze Chun, Stephen Dunn, Chioke Nassor, Darya Zhuk, Aurora Guerrero
- **Story:** Brian Savelson, Jenny Zhang, Siân Héder, Janicza Bravo
- **Teleplay:** Brian Savelson, Siân Héder, Mfoniso Udofia, Lee Eisenberg, Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani, Alan Yang, Ali Liebegott, Erika Sheffer, Naomi Brodkin, Casallina Kisakye, Stephen Dunn, Rajiv Joseph, Darya Zhuk, Joe Hortua, Dan LeFranc, Tze Chun, Idil Ibrahim, Amrou Al-Kadhi
- **Cinematography:** Paula Huidobro, Pedro Gomez Millan, David Franco, Gavin Kelly, Éric Moynier, Jonathan Furmanski
- **Editor:** Susan E. Kim, Hilda Rasula, Darrin Navarro, Geraud Brisson, Nena Erb, Janet Weinberg
- **Producer:** Natalie Sandy
- **Cast:** Suraj Sharma as Kabir; Ishan Gandhi as Kabir (8 Years Old); Eshan Inamdar as Kabir (Child); Priyanka Bose as Sarita; Ravi Kapoor as Krishan; Sunkrish Bala as Vijay; Becky Ann Baker as Mrs. Wren; Sherilyn Fenn as Laura Bush
- **Certificate (MPA):** TV-14
- **Release (the US):** 17 January 2020
- **Genres:** Drama, Comedy
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCke0hXoCf8

## Where to watch in the US

- Apple TV: streaming, uhd
- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd

*Checked 2026-10-07.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, SE, SG, TH, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *The Farewell* (2019), Fi1m 84: Family affection and exasperation coexist, without either becoming a lecture. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-farewell.md)
- *The Lunchbox* (2013), Fi1m 75: Another patient drama that finds feeling in ordinary routines and tentative connections. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-lunchbox.md)
- *My Beautiful Laundrette* (1985), Fi1m 85: For sharper humour about work, belonging and the trouble caused by relatives. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/my-beautiful-laundrette.md)
- *The Visitor* (2007): A more sombre encounter with immigration, sustained by its attention to people.
- *Almanya: Welcome to Germany* (2011): Family comedy gives migration a human scale, with room for conflicting memories.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/little-america