Get Ready to Snack: “Fake Dates and Mooncakes” Optioned for TV

Steven J. Kung (Dear White People, Fresh Off the Boat) has signed on to write and executive produce a television adaptation of the queer YA romance Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee.

Fake Dates and Mooncakes is the story of two Chinese-American teens in Brooklyn. Dylan Tang desperately wants to win a baking competition to help his family’s struggling takeout, and Theo Somers desperately needs a date to his cousin’s wedding in the Hamptons. The book will be developed by Kung and Gearshift Films into a half-hour romantic dramedy.

“Sher Lee conjured such a beautiful, immersive, and cozy world in her book – it’s the kind of world I want to live in. I’m writing this show to celebrate the resilience of immigrant communities and, of course, apotheosize delicious Chinese and Singaporean cuisine. For me, this is ultimately about an underdog coming into his power and using his talents to uplift his community,” Kung said in a statement.

Borga Dorter, executive producer and co-founder of Gearshift Films, said: “Fake Dates and Mooncakes has that rare mix of tenderness and humor, and celebrates first love, family, and cultural identity, while offering a safe and affirming space for LGBTQ+ youth.”

Said Lee, “So happy that Gearshift Films has a vision to adapt my joyful, heartfelt queer novel for television! My hope has always been that readers, and now viewers, can find a sense of comfort, belonging, and possibility in this world.”

In an Instagram post, Lee added: “We’re still early in the process, but with a production company and lead writer attached to the project, the next step is pitching it to buyers and networks. Fingers crossed it finds a home.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the TV series is expected to “move beyond high school into early adulthood to expand the series emotional and cultural scope inspired by the original novel”. It’s hard to tell whether this means aging the characters up from the beginning or continuing their story past their teen years. Honestly, I would be in favor of either choice; aging the characters from the beginning gives more opportunities to delve into the romance aspect of their relationship, but continuing the story provides us with something we rarely get to see: life after the Happily Ever After.

I read Fake Dates and Mooncakes back when it debuted, and while I found it cute and charming, I did have some issues with it. My main issue was that there was way too much going on for how short of a book it was, and my other issue was that I thought it suffered from the “insta-love” trope. Both of these are something that can be fixed within the scope of a television series. A TV show will allow more time to expand on the subplots as well as give the romance the chance to breathe.

I did really enjoy both the premise and the cultural aspect, particularly the thorough explanation of the creation of mooncakes. (I also happen to live in the area of Brooklyn in which this is set.) If they can fix the pacing issues (or cut out some of the unnecessary subplots), this has the potential to be a really great show, with the plus of focusing on an underserved community in western television.

In the aforementioned Instagram post, Lee jokingly said, “Move aside, Heated Rivalry!” Based on his statement, we can assume that Kung probably intended to adapt Fake Dates and Mooncakes regardless. But let’s hope that the success of Heated Rivalry makes the road to production that much easier. Cross your fingers that a lot of studios will be chomping at the bit to put out more queer stories and capitalize on Heated Rivalry‘s explosive popularity.

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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