What is The Brothers Sun about? Netflix series explained

Jasmine Valentine
Michelle Yeoh in The Brothers Sun

The Brothers Sun, a recently released action comedy series, has proven to be an unexpected gem on Netflix – here’s what it’s about, who’s in the cast, and more.

After the phenomenal success of Everything Everywhere All At Once, both Michelle Yeoh and Asian-centered stories are going from strength to strength.

In the bigger picture, we’ve seen movies such as Joyride, Quiz Lady, and Shortcomings strike the right note with fans, while Michelle has been seen in A Haunting in Venice and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts since her Academy Award win.

Now the two worlds are set to collide once more thanks to new Netflix series The Brothers Sun – but what’s it about? Here’s everything you need to know.

What is The Brothers Sun about?

The cast of The Brothers Sun

According to Netflix, the plot of The Brothers Sun reads: “The action-packed family drama with a twisted sense of humor kicks off when the head of a powerful Taiwanese triad is shot by a mysterious assassin. His eldest son, legendary killer Charles “Chairleg” Sun (Justin Chien) has to then head to Los Angeles to protect his mother, Eileen Sun (Yeoh), and his naive younger brother, Bruce (Sam Song Li) – who’s been completely sheltered from the truth about their family until now. 

“But as Taipei’s deadliest societies and a new rising faction go head-to-head for dominance, Charles, Bruce, and their mother must heal the wounds caused by their separation – and figure out what brotherhood and family truly mean before one of their countless enemies kills them all.”

The show explores “what it means to be a son, what it means to be a brother, and also what it means to try and keep a family together,” according to showrunner Brad Falchuk, speaking to Netflix. “We do an extreme version of it because they’re a crime family and there are people shooting at them and trying to kill them. But the conflicts they’re having — the problems they’re having internally, the emotional problems — are very, very universal.”

The Brothers Sun cast: Who’s in it?

The cast of The Brothers Sun

The Brothers Sun has a stacked cast, including:

  • Michelle Yeoh as Eileen “Mama” Sun
  • Justin Chien as Charles Sun
  • Sam Song Li as Bruce Sun
  • Highdee Kuan as Alexis
  • Joon Lee as TK
  • Jon Xue Zhang as Blood Boots
  • Jenny Yang as Xing
  • Madison Hu as Grace
  • Johnny Kou (Shih-Hsun Kou) as Big Sun
  • Rodney To as Mark
  • Alice Hewkin as May
  • Maite Garcia as Edner

Speaking to Netflix, showrunner Byron Wu said of the cast “Johnny [Kou] is an OG. He brings so much power.”

“What I love about Michelle [Yeoh] is how much respect she commanded from her two sons on the show, but also from those actors,” Wu continued. “Of course [I loved] everything she did for the character, but to me I think the most astounding thing was watching her nurture and mentor all these young actors and help them and honestly make them step up. I’ll always appreciate that.”

Does The Brothers Sun have a trailer?

Catch the trailer for The Brothers Sun below:

The Brothers Sun is streaming on Netflix now, and you can find our full Netflix coverage here.

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About The Author

Jasmine Valentine is a TV and Movies Writer at Dexerto. She's the go-to source for all things Young Sheldon, as well as many Netflix originals. Jasmine has also written for the likes of Total Film, The Daily Beast, and Radio Times.