TORONTO: American-Egyptian comedian and actor Ramy Youssef’s first animated venture “#1 Happy Family USA,” on Amazon Prime Video, is a satirical take on the challenges faced by Muslim-American families in a post-9/11 world.
Created with Pam Brady of “South Park” fame, the eight-episode series opens with a darkly comic twist of fate — the Egyptian-American Hussein family is at the airport when news breaks of the World Trade Center attacks.
And from that moment, everything changes. The patriarch and owner of Hussein’s Halal Cart is convinced that “we must work harder at being like them. So, we blend in.”
To fit in, Hussein shaves his beard and pushes the family to “look more American.” Meanwhile, mom Sharon (also known as Sharia) embraces her faith with renewed conviction by donning a hijab.
Twelve-year-old Rumi (voiced by Youssef) finds himself an outcast at school and is now forced to navigate not only the throes of middle school and adolescence, but also the harsh realities of a post-9/11 world.
Each character is so vividly portrayed that you can easily imagine your Arab teta or the local Pakistani imam in the mix. The well-timed vocal interjections and cultural (Arab and American pop-culture) references bring an extra layer of freshness and humor to the show.
Known for his Emmy-nominated “Ramy,” Youssef continues to shed light on the Muslim-American experience.
The show evokes the familiar sentiment of fear. It captures the lived reality of Islamophobia and surveillance in Muslim communities, and explores related themes of identity struggles, microaggressions, and code-switching.
We can laugh at the Hussein family’s antics, but the show serves as a stark reminder that in today’s dystopian and polarized political climate, there is little humor to be found.
