It's only four days into the new year, but we're calling it: the best action series of 2024 has arrived, and Netflix's latest, Brothers Sun, is a genre-defying, irreverent Taiwanese-American family drama that surprises viewers at every moment! It seems designed to surprise viewers every moment of the day.

The series pilot opens at a bachelor pad in a Taipei penthouse and quickly introduces legendary killer Charles "Chairleg" Sun (Justin Chen). As the gorgeous shots of sugar and strawberry syrup played, I began to wonder if I had clicked on the wrong title: three masked assassins invade the apartment, and Charles fights them off with a brilliantly choreographed one-liner in motion. Midway through the fight, he is kicked off by a spinning television set and all the action is relegated to the background as the camera focuses on "The Great British Baking Show" playing in the foreground.

Charles (nicknamed Chairleg because he once killed a man with a chairleg) is the eldest son of Big Sun, the leader of the Triads, who control a super-secret and super-powerful underground crime network in Taiwan. When his father is attacked and wounded by a mysterious assassin, Charles is immediately assigned to protect his younger brother Bruce (Sam Sonley) and his mother Eileen (Michelle Yeoh), who lives in Los Angeles. For reasons Charles does not yet know, Irene has left the Triad to lead a quiet life in America, and Bruce, an aspiring medical student (and amateur improv comedian), is completely secretive about the family secret. When Charles brings the Triad's many enemies to the doorstep of his estranged family, things go wild.

It's hard not to compare "Brother's Sun" to "Everything Everywhere at Once," and not just because the droll new series, which debuted on the streaming giant on January 4, stars Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh. Conceived by a team of Asian writers and featuring a predominantly Asian cast, the new action series plays on the same field as the Academy Award-winning film: both projects tell surprisingly heartfelt stories with an almost incessant sense of confusion and irreverent humor.

The eight-episode season offers several mysteries to solve: why did one of the three rival gangs decide to strike? Is the Sons in the midst of a struggle for supremacy, or is it something more?" will we find out the myriad secrets that Irene is undoubtedly hiding (e.g., why is she being targeted when she seems to have nothing to do with the Triad anymore)? More interesting, however, is to see the mother and her sons reconnect despite the baggage between them, as well as the show's theme of family obligations and sacrifice. This heightens the cultural specificity of this very authentic family story to tell a universal tale.

Both Chien and Lee are breakout stars as Charles and Bruce, who must deal with their respective fish-out-of-water antics as their cultures clash. Lee, known as a popular content creator, gives a nuanced and sympathetic portrayal of a character who goes from baggage to a force to be reckoned with (we learn that his mother has experience with bone saws). Chien, meanwhile, effortlessly handles the series' venomous fight scenes, rubbing shoulders with Yeoh in dramatic moments. Charles is also the source of many of the show's GBBO connections, finding time in tense conflict to research and perfect his latest obsession, Chulo. (I dare you to make it through the show without developing an imaginary crush on this character or at least a craving for churros.) In addition to Chien and Lee, the show's entire ensemble cast is filled with talented up-and-coming actors who fill the show's well-crafted world.

And after last year's historic awards sweep, everyone knows (or should know) that give Yeoh a well-crafted script and magic happens. Co-creators Byron Wu and Brad Falchuk created the role specifically with her in mind. The Brothers Son delights in giving its stars standout moments to show how Irene is the smartest strategist in the entire Triad system. Every time she uses her connections to uncover a rival gang's network and plans to reverse the patriarchal ways of the criminal world, the show takes on a super-spy vibe. In my favorite scene, the mahjong club becomes a whispering network of people who know everything about the men-their wives, housekeepers, and aunts (both literally and colloquially, a designation for older women in some cultures). It is refreshing to see Yeoh in another role where she can showcase most of her skills, and "Brother's Sun" should receive a season 2 renewal for her presence alone.

The finale of "Brother's Sun" leaves the door open for the family story to continue (note the post-credits scene). But season one also stands strong as a jam-packed quest in its own right, as estranged families find their way back to each other. Every scene offers an absurd moment that elicits a good laugh, a new connection to an engrossing gangster mystery, or an emotional arc that shows that the heart of the violence and intrigue is one goal: to protect the family.

If the rest of the 2024 streaming hits are as well-constructed and all-around entertaining as this kickoff series, we'll all have a great year.