Netflix's Partner Track will be released sooner than expected. Due to the expectation that its premiere raises, the streaming service wasted no time releasing the trailer for season 1, which comprises ten one-hour episodes. The show is truly anticipated by a vast community of fans.
Partner Track, following in the footsteps of Bridgerton and After, is an adaptation of the homonymous book written by Helen Wan. The book, defined by its author, is an American Dream story. It’s about a woman of color learning to navigate alien culture at a prestigious and attached to the old school global law firm. It's about how she chases ambition while attempting to live authentically at work without losing her identity and values, being true to herself. At the same time, she fights against the racism and sexism inherent in the society in which she lives.
Judging by the trailer Netflix released, key points from the source material have been left intact in the adaptation, though, as with any adaptation, fans can expect some changes. Here is why we can't wait for the show's debut!
The Show Will Be (Mostly) Faithful to the Source Material
Along with the trailer, Netflix released the official synopsis, which is, unlike Bridgerton season 3, quite faithful to Partner Track by Helen Wan, the book the show is based on.
Ingrid Yun, a 1st generation Korean American and the first lawyer in her family, experiences the trials and tribulations of excelling at the prestigious (but old school) law firm, Parsons Valentine. With the support of her friends, she battles through workplace challenges to break through the glass ceiling on her path to becoming a partner. But will her drive and ambition leave room for love?
As the synopsis suggests, love, diversity, clash of cultures, systemic racism, and sexism will be central to Partner Track, just as it is in the source material. Ingrid is a strong and determined woman who is determined to prove herself and break the glass ceiling that all women, and to a greater extent, women of color, must face, especially in a world as traditionally conservative as firms of old-school lawyers.
It's not an easy world, but Ingrid challenges the status quo of the traditional old-school white males that make up the law firm, so her presence and the way she stands out are sure to raise blisters. What the synopsis makes very clear is that, while Ingrid faces systemic racism and fights to be given the place she deserves and earned, she will also reflect on the true position she occupies in the law firm and if she is really valued as she deserves.
As in the book on which the show is based, Ingrid will find herself at a crossroads between her dream and her identity. However, the synopsis indicates that Ingrid will face yet another challenge: love. Amid all this internal struggle that she will have, she will fall in love with what she feels is the most inconvenient man in the world… but who is actually the right man for her, the man with whom she will truly feel that everything fits?
Ingrid's life in Partner Track will take a turn that she doesn’t expect, but that will help her to know herself and her identity and examine her dreams in a much deeper way.
Ingrid Breaks the Glass Ceiling
Partner Track will star Arden Cho, known for her role in Teen Wolf, as Ingrid Yun. Per Deadline, series creator Georgia Lee stated:
“We are so deeply excited to bring this story of an Asian American woman trying to break the glass ceiling at an elite law firm to life."
While Jinny Howe, VP of Original Series at Netflix said:
“We’re proud of the incredible team assembled to bring to life Partner Track, an empowering story told through the eyes of our Asian-American lead character Ingrid Yun, played by the talented Arden Cho. Full of fun and romance, this is a contemporary and insightful look at the added pressures for women and those of underrepresented backgrounds in the workplace today.”
The book on which Partner Track is based marked Helen Wan's successful foray into the literary world. In writing the book, the author drew on her own life experiences as a Chinese-American lawyer and on various stories of women of color who had to confront systemic racism and sexism.
Due to the authentic and identifiable experiences that the book relates to, its publication was an immense success. A large community of fans was created, eager for the Netflix series.
The Partner Track Trailer
Luckily, after the release of the trailer, the streaming service didn’t leave fans in doubt about the quality of Partner Track. The show will hit Netflix on August 26, 2022, so there are just a few weeks left for fans to enjoy seeing how their favorite story is brought to the small screen and the words written by Helen Wan come to life.