The show, about an abrasive Malaysian law student at the University of Melbourne, is written by and stars Ronny Chieng, a correspondent on The Daily Show, and writer and producer Declan Fey.

“He’s smart, driven and competitive, which would make him the perfect law student, if he actually wanted to be a lawyer,” the show’s synopsis says.

The semi-autobiographical sitcom draws on Chieng’s own experience of studying in Australia, bringing an “international perspective” to TV audiences, he said during a podcast interview with comedian Des Bishop.

One of six pilots aired on the Comedy Showroom this year, the sitcom was the favourite in a public vote. The pilot was met with great reviews, rated 8.8/10 on IMDB.

However, Chieng revealed he had some frustrations with the writing process, as he had to remove some of the nuance from the sitcom to make it work for an American audience.

“When I go, ‘I was born in Malaysia but I’m ethnically Chinese and grew up in Singapore but spent ten years in Australia going to law school and doing comedy,’ that’s too many things,” he said.

“People have been asking me to give an international perspective… [but if] you give them what your real perspective is, it’s too much nuance and they can’t get it.”

Ronny Chieng- International Student – TRAILER from Jonathan Brough on Vimeo.