The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy, American Dad, and more all-American animated adult tv comedies have graced our screens for decades, mercilessly interrogating the all-American life and if it's all it's cracked up to be. But rarely do we get one of these series from an Arab and Muslim perspective, until now with Ramy Youssef and Pam Brady's #1 Happy Family USA, featuring the Egyptian-American Hussein family, including young insecure Rumi (Ramy Youssef), his wildly insecure father Hussein (also Ramy Youssef), his caring and overburdened mother Sharia (Salma Hindy), overachieving and closeted older sister Mona (Alia Shawkat), conservative Grandpa (Azhar Usman), and niqabi and free-spirited Grandma (Randa Jarrar).

Set in the early 2000s in New Jersey, right around an astronomically horrible national event, we watch the Hussein family deal with the outlandish racism, surveillance, and Islamophobia every single day, and their own outlandish efforts to deal with it. All characters and the animation style were designed by Iraqi-British data journalist Mona Chalabi. Joined by our friend Nadia Osman, we discuss the series and why it's a landmark for SWANA and Muslim representation, the great casting news about Lee Cronin's The Mummy, give our recommendations, and much more.

 

Spoilers for all of #1 Happy Family USA throughout

 

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Support the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) and families in Gaza

Islamic Relief USA: Support Families in Palestine

 

Our music is composed by Ashley Hefnawy. You can find more of her music here.

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Swara's interview with Nadia and Ali Nasser on Lee Cronin's The Mummy

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