It’s no secret we’re living in an age of decision paralysis when it comes to our viewing schedules. Streaming platforms have morphed into endless production lines, force-feeding us “must-see TV” by the bucket load.
In the last month, much of the focus has centred on HBO’s big-money Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, and Amazon Prime’s “most expensive TV series ever made”, Lord of the Rings spin-off, The Rings of Power.
But between all the hype around hobbits and dragons, it’s possible you may have missed one of the best shows of the year in Mo – a new Netflix original series from comedian Mohammed “Mo” Amer.
In this new eight-part series, Amer plays Mo Najjar: a fictionalised version of himself, who spends his days doing odd jobs (read: selling counterfeit Yeezys out of his car boot, DJ-ing in a depressing strip club) while navigating the complex asylum and citizenship process in the United States.
For the uninitiated, Amer, a Palestinian-American comedian, has been a staple of the US stand-up scene for more than a decade. In that time, he’s opened for comedy royalty such as Dave Chappelle and delivered two successful Netflix stand-up specials, The Vagabond and Mohammed in Texas. But it was his role as Ramy Youssef’s cousin in the Golden Globe-winning 2019 comedy Ramy (available on Stan*) that helped establish Amer as The Next Big Thing™.
Fast-forward to 2022 and Amer is teaming up again with Youssef (listed as co-creator) for this scripted, semi-autobiographical comedy series.
Born in Kuwait, Amer moved to Houston, Texas, with his family (originally from Palestine) in 1990 after fleeing the Gulf War. Amer was nine then but wouldn’t receive his US citizenship until 2009, a full 20 years later.
The show is his life’s work drawn directly from his actual life so, needless to say, Amer felt self-conscious about how it would be received.
“I put everything I had into it,” the comedian, 41, says via Zoom from Los Angeles. “I did everything I could to put out the absolute best show possible, so I tried to be calm, but I was sweating.
“You pour your entire self into one series, then people watch it in four hours, and that’s it.”
Despite Amer’s concerns (and the very real worry of being overshadowed by the two biggest shows of the year), Mo is striking a chord. Despite stiff competition, it’s quietly becoming one of the critically acclaimed shows of the year with a 100 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Perhaps it is unsurprising, given Amer has made a habit of coming out on top when the odds are stacked against him. Four years after moving to Houston, Amer’s father passed away.
“His death had an enormous impact on my life,” explains Amer. “That is what prompted me to try stand-up comedy because it gave me a safe environment to express myself and find humour in the pain I was going through.
“But it wasn’t easy because there aren’t many Mohammeds in Texas doing comedy, so when I walked into a club I had to smash – there’s no in-between. You can’t stink. You can’t have an off night. That’s the immigrant mentality.”
Houston, home of the Houston Astros. And Mo Amer. Credit:Netflix
For Amer, who describes himself as “Texan Palestinian”, the immigrant mentality has long informed his stand-up, but in Mo, it manifests as an endless to-do list. When he’s not battling bureaucracy, Mo is hounding his overworked lawyer or making sure his mother is nice to his Mexican girlfriend, all the while pinballing between cultures.
Amer’s Mo is both typically American – constantly decked out in the gear of his hometown baseball team, the Houston Astros – and proudly Palestinian.
Throughout the series, other characters regularly confuse Palestine with Israel, which Mo dismisses as “a real branding issue”, but it’s clear Amer takes the value of his representation seriously.
“This is the first [American] show about a Palestinian family created by and starring a Palestinian actor,” he says. “It’s absurd that this has never happened before.”
The broader experience of being trapped between two worlds, however, has proven fertile ground for comedy over the last few years, with shows like Master of None, Ramy, and Raised By Refugees riffing on the immigrant experience.
“It’s interesting because people were so resistant to our stories for so long,” says Amer. “But I think the time has come where audiences are curious; they find it fascinating how we can just leave everything behind to start a new life. ”
Amer approaches his history with varying degrees of light and shade. A scene where Mo learns that his father was tortured while still in Kuwait – something that really happened to Amer’s father – is as heavy as anything you’ll watch on TV this year.
“I was terrified to include that, but I made the decision because it’s important to put these truths out there, and thankfully it was cathartic for me because I realised I never actually mourned that this happened to my dad in real life,” he says.
“People were so resistant to our stories for so long,” Amer says.Credit:Netflix
But a few beats later, Mo is lecturing a grocery store worker who asks him to sample a new product: chocolate hummus. “Did you say chocolate hummus?” Mo asks. “Do you know what you just did? You just insulted my grandmother.”
Recalling the scene, Amer laughs: “Hummus is all the rage now, and yet people want to mess with it,” he says. “It’s perfect as it is!”
Ironically, for a show that hinges on whether the American dream is a fantasy, Amer might be the ultimate proof that it still exists. A little over 10 years ago, he didn’t have citizenship; now, he has a Netflix series and is set to appear opposite Dwayne Johnson in the new DC film, Black Adam.
Mo Amer (right) on the set of Netflix series, Mo.Credit:Netflix
“Yeah, I know The Rock now. Should I FaceTime him into this call?” jokes Amer.
“He’s exactly who you think he is; he’s always in the f—ing gym, working out all the time, eating all the time, got a Ziploc bag full of protein snacks. But it blows my mind that I got to work with him, and I hope I can hold my own.”
Based on Amer’s track record, you wouldn’t bet against him.
Mo is now streaming on Netflix.
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