Simu Liu's Copenhagen Test Tackles Diversity Without Making It A Spectacle

Peacock's new spy thriller The Copenhagen Test dropped all eight episodes on December 27, and it's doing something Hollywood rarely manages. The show features a Chinese-American lead and a Mexican co-star without turning their ethnicity into either a gimmick or a problem to solve. That sounds like it should be the baseline, but apparently in 2025, we still need to celebrate when studios don't screw this up.

Simu Liu stars as Alexander Hale, a first-generation Chinese-American intelligence analyst whose brain gets hacked by unknown enemies. His agency, a shadowy outfit called The Orphanage, assigns fellow operative Michelle, played by Melissa Barrera, to pretend to be his girlfriend. They're essentially performing a romance for the hackers watching through Alexander's eyes and ears. Liu compared the experience to Love Island, which is both hilarious and surprisingly apt.

The show is getting praise for integrating diversity organically rather than announcing it with fanfare. There's a scene where Alexander speaks to his parents via FaceTime, and his mother reminds him to speak English. It's a small moment that reflects actual immigrant family dynamics without making it a Very Special Episode about identity.

The Diversity Question Nobody Wants to Answer

Here's what bothers me about the conversation surrounding this show. We're still patting ourselves on the back in 2025 for not tokenizing diverse casting. The fact that "natural representation" counts as noteworthy proves how far behind we still are.

In interviews, both Liu and Barrera discussed why representation matters, with Barrera noting she sometimes feels crazy when she sees all-white casting announcements for major films. Liu was even more blunt, pointing out that diversity is still viewed as a risk by Hollywood decision-makers. These aren't radical statements. They're observations about an industry that claims to value diversity while treating it like a liability.

Liu's career trajectory since Shang-Chi illustrates the problem perfectly. Despite leading a Marvel film that grossed over $400 million, he hasn't gotten another major leading role until now. He's done supporting work in Barbie, Atlas, and Last Breath, all solid projects but none with him at the center. Meanwhile, white actors who lead similar blockbusters immediately get offered the next three franchise opportunities.

Liu addressed this directly in a Hollywood Reporter interview, acknowledging that his path would be dramatically different if he were white. He noted that Asian actors aren't even in the conversation for roles like James Bond the way Black actors are. We're several rungs down the ladder, as he put it. That's not bitterness. That's reality.

The Copenhagen Test as Career Relaunch

This show represents Liu's attempt to reclaim leading man status after years of being shuffled into supporting roles. It's also his first executive producer credit on a major series, giving him creative control over how his character and the story are presented.

Alexander Hale's Chinese-American identity isn't incidental to the plot. His superiors question his loyalty partly because he comes from a first-generation immigrant family. The show explores themes of nationalism, surveillance, and who gets to be considered truly American. These are questions that characters like James Bond or Ethan Hunt never have to confront.

The meta-commentary is impossible to ignore. Liu plays a character whose loyalty is constantly questioned, while Liu himself faces an industry that questions whether an Asian actor can carry a mainstream thriller. The show becomes a statement about both its fictional world and the real Hollywood system that nearly sidelined its star.

Melissa Barrera brings her own context to the project. She was famously fired from Scream VII after social media posts about the Israel-Palestine conflict that Spyglass Media deemed unacceptable. The incident sparked debate about whether actors should face professional consequences for political speech. Barrera has since expressed gratitude for fan support but hasn't secured another major franchise role.

Her character Michelle is described as "ethnically ambiguous," which Barrera embraces. She notes that viewers might think she's South American, Egyptian, or Arab, and that ambiguity works for a spy character who's lived many cover identities. It's a clever way to turn Hollywood's historic inability to cast Latinx actors appropriately into a narrative advantage.

Why the Love Island Comparison Actually Works

Liu told multiple outlets that working on The Copenhagen Test felt like being on Love Island. At first, that sounds ridiculous. One is a reality dating show where beautiful people couple up for votes. The other is a dystopian thriller about brain hacking and espionage.

But Liu's point is smart. On Love Island, contestants perform romance knowing cameras are watching and public voting determines their fate. There's always a question of authenticity. Are they genuinely connecting, or just saying what keeps them on the show? The same dynamic applies to Alexander and Michelle.

They're faking a relationship for the hackers watching through Alexander's compromised brain. But they both know the truth, which means they're performing for the enemy while being genuine with each other. Except Michelle has her own secrets, her own missions, and possibly her own fake identities layered so deep she might not remember what's real. It's Love Island if everyone was lying, being watched by enemies instead of fans, and could die if they messed up the performance.

The comparison also reveals something about modern entertainment. Reality TV pioneered this territory of performed authenticity where viewers know it's staged but believe the emotions are real. The Copenhagen Test applies that same framework to spy fiction, creating a hall of mirrors where every interaction could be genuine or calculated.

The Problem With Calling This Progress

The Copenhagen Test is getting lauded for treating diversity as normal rather than exceptional. Liu and Barrera aren't playing characters whose ethnicity drives the plot. Alexander could theoretically be any race, though the show smartly incorporates his specific identity into themes of loyalty and belonging. Michelle's background remains mysterious, which works for a spy character.

This is how representation should work. Characters exist as full people whose identities inform but don't define them. The show doesn't announce "Look at our diverse cast!" It just presents two non-white leads in a genre traditionally dominated by white actors and moves forward.

But here's my issue. We're celebrating the bare minimum. A show with Asian and Latinx leads shouldn't be remarkable in 2025. The fact that it is remarkable proves Hollywood hasn't solved its diversity problem. We've just gotten better at hiding it.

Look at the box office data from 2025. Disney dominated with over $6 billion largely through sequels and remakes of established properties. How many of those featured non-white leads? Zootopia 2 had diverse voice casting. Lilo & Stitch put a Polynesian character front and center. Mufasa continued the Lion King franchise with predominantly Black voice actors. But for live-action tentpoles, the landscape remains overwhelmingly white.

Marvel's 2025 slate included Captain America: Brave New World with Anthony Mackie, which underperformed at $415 million. The Fantastic Four: First Steps cast Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards and Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, but still centered white actors. Thunderbolts featured Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan leading an ensemble. Only Captain America definitively featured a Black lead, and its modest returns will likely be used to justify fewer diverse leads going forward.

The Spy Genre's Diversity Problem

Spy fiction has historically been aggressively white. James Bond, Jason Bourne, Jack Ryan, Ethan Hunt, all white men operating in worlds where everyone important looks like them. When shows or films do feature non-white spies, their ethnicity often becomes the point. They're undercover because they look different. They face discrimination. Their identity is treated as a liability.

The Copenhagen Test flips that script by making Alexander's identity just one factor among many. Yes, his superiors question his loyalty partly because of his background. But the show also presents him as brilliant, capable, and fundamentally American despite others' suspicions. His anxiety disorder matters as much as his ethnicity. His hacked brain matters more than either.

This nuanced approach to character is what's been missing. Too often, diverse characters exist to represent their demographic rather than exist as individuals who happen to belong to that demographic. Alexander isn't "the Asian spy." He's a spy who happens to be Asian-American, and that distinction matters enormously.

Melissa Barrera's Michelle benefits from similar treatment. She's not "the Latina operative." She's an operative whose background remains deliberately mysterious, which suits the spy genre perfectly. The show uses her ethnically ambiguous appearance as a storytelling asset rather than a casting problem to solve.

The Mixed Critical Reception

Reviews for The Copenhagen Test have been divided. The Hollywood Reporter called it "a two-hour pilot stretched to eight episodes, four of them skippable." Variety labeled it "a dastardly disappointment" with an overly complicated plot. Both criticized the show for being too convoluted, too slow, and too invested in misdirection over substance.

Other outlets were more positive. Collider praised the "smart spy-fi series with solid action and impressive worldbuilding." The Wrap highlighted Liu's "commanding, textured turn" and the show's unique premise. Most agreed that Liu and Barrera have excellent chemistry, even if the show around them doesn't always work.

The consensus seems to be that the first four episodes drag with excessive exposition and repetitive setup. The show improves significantly in episodes five through eight, when the action ramps up and the timeline manipulation becomes more sophisticated. By the finale, The Copenhagen Test delivers on its promises, but many viewers might not stick around that long.

This pacing problem plagues many streaming shows. Without commercial breaks or weekly release schedules to build anticipation, creators struggle to calibrate how much setup viewers will tolerate. The Copenhagen Test apparently needed more aggressive editing in its early episodes. Dropping all eight at once means viewers will notice the sluggish start more acutely than if episodes released weekly.

Representation Isn't Enough

The Copenhagen Test deserves credit for casting Liu and Barrera as leads in a genre that rarely features actors who look like them. It deserves more credit for integrating their identities organically rather than making diversity the story.

But representation alone doesn't make a show good. The Copenhagen Test has to succeed as entertainment first, representation second. Based on reviews, it's a mixed bag. Strong performances and interesting concepts hampered by uneven pacing and overcomplicated plotting.

That's actually fine. Not every diverse project needs to be flawless. Part of achieving genuine equality means allowing non-white creators and stars to make mediocre content without it reflecting on their entire demographic. White male leads get to star in forgettable thrillers all the time. Simu Liu and Melissa Barrera deserve the same freedom.

My frustration is with the broader system. We're still having conversations about whether diversity is financially risky. We're still celebrating natural representation like it's innovative. We're still watching talented actors like Liu struggle to get leading roles after proving they can carry blockbusters.

The fact that The Copenhagen Test exists is good. The fact that its existence feels noteworthy is bad. We should be so past this point that a Chinese-American lead in a spy thriller doesn't warrant comment. The show should succeed or fail based on its quality, not on whether it advances some imaginary diversity scoreboard.

Where Do We Go From Here?

If The Copenhagen Test succeeds, Peacock will likely greenlight a second season. Liu and showrunner Thomas Brandon have hinted at ideas for continuing the story, exploring Alexander's trust issues after the season one betrayals and deepening Michelle's mysterious background.

If it fails, we'll hear the usual explanations. Spy thrillers are tough to sell. Streaming audiences have limited attention spans. The show was too complicated. What we won't hear is that audiences rejected it because of diverse casting, even though studio executives will absolutely think that when deciding whether to greenlight similar projects.

This is the trap diverse creators face. Success gets attributed to quality. Failure gets attributed to diversity. White male-led projects can bomb without damaging the viability of future white male-led projects. Diverse projects carry the weight of representation, where one failure supposedly proves audiences won't accept non-white leads.

The Copenhagen Test will be judged partially on whether it advances Simu Liu's career trajectory. If it leads to more leading roles, it succeeds beyond its artistic merits. If Liu ends up back in supporting roles, the industry will treat it as confirmation that Asian actors can't carry mainstream thrillers. Never mind that countless white actors lead forgettable projects and keep getting opportunities.

Melissa Barrera faces similar scrutiny. After Scream VII, she needs a hit to reestablish her bankability. The Copenhagen Test gives her a platform to show range beyond horror films. Whether it translates to more opportunities depends partly on the show's performance and partly on whether Hollywood has moved past her political controversy.

The Bigger Picture

Hollywood loves to congratulate itself for incremental progress. Every diverse casting announcement gets treated like a revolutionary act. Every movie featuring non-white leads gets positioned as risky rather than normal. This framing perpetuates the problem it claims to solve.

The Copenhagen Test is a competently made spy thriller with diverse leads. That's all it should be. The fact that we're discussing its representation strategy rather than just its quality reveals ongoing industry dysfunction.

I want to live in a world where Simu Liu's ethnicity is as irrelevant to his casting as Chris Hemsworth's. Where Melissa Barrera gets judged on talent rather than whether her background fills a diversity quota. Where "ethnically ambiguous" isn't a casting category but just a description of someone's appearance.

We're not there yet. Maybe we never will be. But shows like The Copenhagen Test inch us closer, even when they don't fully succeed. The representation matters. The normalization of diverse casting matters. The fact that Liu and Barrera can lead a major streaming thriller without their ethnicity being the story matters.

It just shouldn't be remarkable anymore. And until it stops being remarkable, we haven't actually solved anything. We've just gotten better at pretending we have.