The writer and star of Three’s local comedy series reveals his longtime love of cartoons, his fondness for The Mighty Ducks and why he thinks Friends is overrated.
Sam Wang doesn’t do things by halves. Before he became the star of Three’s new comedy Homebound 3.0, he gained degrees in both commerce and communications, graduated from Toi Whakaari and worked as a lawyer. In 2019, he won South Pacific Picture’s “The Big Pitch” competition with his idea for Homebound 3.0, a comedy about a 30-year-old who still lives with his parents. Wang created, wrote and stars in the show as Henry, an aspiring writer who fakes a romance with dermatologist Melissa (Michelle Ang) to end their families meddling.
“Wang’s Chinese-New Zealand spin provides a fresh and engaging take on the [romcom] genre, and the show is laugh-out-loud funny,” Naomii Seah wrote in her review. “From the larger-than-life personalities to the sparkly stage set of Aunty Linda’s eponymous restaurant, there’s a lot to love about Homebound 3.0.” There’s also a lot to love about Wang’s early and most vivid television memories, which include some surprising inspiration for the characters of Homebound 3.0.
My earliest TV memory is… Watching Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and a Chinese cartoon called Black Cat Detective after the six o’clock news on CCTV in China.
The TV show I used to rush home from school to watch was… The second half of TaleSpin and Beast Wars: Transformers. I really liked my cartoons as a kid.
The TV moment that haunts me the most is… When the St George Illawarra Dragons lost the 1999 NRL Grand Final to the Melbourne Storm after leading 14-0 at halftime. That was probably the last NRL match I watched on TV but whatever – soccer’s better anyway!
My earliest TV crush was… April from the 90’s cartoon version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The TV ad I can’t stop thinking about is… Mastercard: there are some things money can’t buy. For everything else…Don’t get me wrong, I love them! They’re lovely little sentimental films, but if you stop to think about it, there’s a fatalistic irony in it because it says so much about the world. (Sorry for the downer!)
My TV guilty pleasure is… The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers. Hits all the nostalgic cravings.
My favourite TV moment of all time is… There’s a lot to choose from, but if I limit myself to only when I was there in front of the TV, then it’ll have to be Cuba Gooding Jr’s Best Supporting Actor’s speech at the 1997 Oscars for Jerry Maguire. I mean come on, that was just pure joy: “Tom Cruise! I love you brother! I love you! I love you! I love you all!”
My favourite TV character of all time is… Abed from Community. There’s just no other!
My most used streaming platform is… Probably YouTube, to keep up to date with latest Manchester United transfer news on Stretford Paddock.
My favourite TV project I’ve ever been involved in is… HomeBound 3.0. I’m obviously biased but I was there when it was just a blank document on my computer. The fact that it’s now materialised into a “real world” TV show is incredible. To have gotten to experience every step of that journey with all the incredible talent who gave everything to make it happen is something really special.
The TV show that defined my lockdown was… Squid Game. I watched it to understand the memes. Didn’t get the memes but boy was it worth the watch!
The TV show I wish I wrote/directed/starred in is… Mozart in the Jungle. Gael, the hot Spanish teacher in HomeBound 3.0 is basically my homage to Gael García Bernal from that show.
My most-watched TV show of all time is… You’re the Worst. I basically watched it on repeat until I cloned Jimmy and Gretchen from that show into Henry and Melissa for Homebound 3.0. Thanks Stephen Falk!
My controversial TV take is… Friends is overrated. I wasn’t allowed TV in high school so I missed it in the 90s and now it’s too late to catch up (plus I can’t be bothered) so I’m just gonna live and die by that sword.
A show I will never watch, no matter how many people say I should is… The Big Bang Theory. Like, if you’re gonna tell me it’s a great show about quantum scientists but then it’s so mainstream that half the population reckons they get it, I’m like “nah, I don’t buy it”.
The last thing I watched on TV was…The Bear. Man, Chicago looks a lot rougher than I remembered from My Best Friend’s Wedding and the Home Alone series!
Sam Wang created and stars in Homebound 3.0, currently screening on Thursdays at 9:00pm on Three and streaming on ThreeNow.
Read more My Life in TV: with Janaye Henry and Chris Parker.