Ramy Youssef’s Animated Sitcom ‘#1 Happy Family USA’ Is More Poignant Than Funny: TV Review

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In the fourth installment of “Ramy,” the Hulu series starring and co-created by Ramy Youssef, viewers were transported back to September 2001 – a challenging period for Americans as a whole, but particularly so for an Egyptian-American Muslim adolescent residing near Manhattan. The episode titled “Strawberries” portrayed the widespread Islamophobia of that era through the personal lens of Ramy, who at this point in his life is more preoccupied with learning to masturbate like his peers than he is with national security concerns. This storyline’s frank use of language effectively challenged any simplistic notions of morality while highlighting how significant events and everyday hardships often occur concurrently.

Six years after the debut of “Strawberries” in 2019, Youssef has transformed the brief, witty narrative into a complete season for television. Collaborating with Pam Brady (“South Park,” “Lady Dynamite”), the Amazon Prime Video series “#1 Happy Family USA” uses animation to intensify the absurdity surrounding the character of Rumi, previously known as Youssef’s surrogate. In contrast to “Strawberries”, where Osama bin Laden made an appearance in Ramy’s New Jersey kitchen, “#1 Happy Family USA” gives Rumi a talking pet lamb that offers advice on pirating files. As expected when expanding a single flashback into a full-blown series, some accuracy and concentration are lost. The show has instances of poignancy and humor; however, it demonstrates more success in the former than the latter, which might seem unusual for an intended family sitcom. Regrettably, throughout its eight episodes, it fails to consistently strike a balance between the two and lacks a clear sense of identity.

Each installment of “Number One Happy Family USA” features a “Representation Alert,” a fictitious MPAA rating (H for offensive) that advises viewers not to rely on this animated series as a depiction of Arabs, Muslims, or other groups, such as “white girls named Courtney.” However, animation’s abstract nature often lends itself to didactic symbolism, which these warnings seem to challenge. For instance, the character Rumi demonstrates the ability to switch dialects swiftly by transitioning from a prep-school student to a laid-back stoner and then back to his usual self within seconds. In this way, “#1 Happy Family USA” both dismisses the responsibility of representing others and eagerly takes on the role of lecturer when it chooses to do so.

Youssef transitions from portraying only his own character to assuming a double role. Besides lending his voice to Rumi, a character with an anxious, high-pitched rasp, Youssef also adopts a deep, gruff tone to play Rumi’s thrifty father Hussein. This character, named Hussein Hussein, parks his halal cart outside the Fox News tower. The al-Qaeda attacks cause significant changes in the lives of Hussein and his wife Sharia (Salma Hindy). Traumatized by a recent tragedy, Sharia decides to wear a headscarf and no longer uses her nickname “Sharon” at work. Conversely, Hussein becomes increasingly determined to assimilate into American culture in response to the attacks. He declares, “From today, we have no culture. We aim to prove that we are ordinary people, not terrorists.” To achieve this, he shaves off his beard, erects a large flag on the porch, and even starts wearing shoes indoors. “It is crucial,” he tells Rumi, “that we never reveal our true selves.

The longing for acceptance amidst prejudice is the primary theme in “#1 Happy Family USA,” powerfully portrayed in its theme song: “Hello, hello neighbors / You might fear us being close / But the only bond we seek / Is the shared red, white, and blue!” Hussein’s excessive demonstrations of love for America intensify the neighbor’s suspicions, such as the recently divorced FBI agent living nearby, portrayed by Timothy Olyphant. However, it gains him approval from a coworker who calls him “one of the good ones.” The Husseins experience distress when their garage is vandalized, and Sharia tearfully laments that these people don’t realize “We share your concerns. We’re afraid too, just like everyone else.” It’s ironic that this show airs on Amazon Prime, a platform known for shows like “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” and “The Terminal List,” which have strong connections to the War on Terror. “#1 Happy Family USA” serves as a contrast to these shows.

Scenes like these are powerful in a dramatic context, but they seem out of place, even unfeasible, for a family sitcom akin to “The Simpsons.” Although the title sequence concludes with a dark humor involving armed agents threatening the Hussein family while Rumi is used as a human shield, the majority of jokes in “#1 Happy Family USA” don’t have the same emotional impact. Many jokes rely on tired stereotypes, such as Sharia using a sandal for corporal punishment or Rumi attending “Gabagool School.” The animation style, influenced by executive producer and visual journalist Mona Chalabi’s work, tends to be straightforward, with characters featuring large, round eyes.

As a movie enthusiast, I’ve just had the pleasure of reviewing “#1 Happy Family USA,” A24’s first foray into adult animated series, following their partnership with Youssef on both “Ramy” and his stand-up special “More Feelings.” In this era where xenophobia and immigration scrutiny are sadly making headlines once more, the series mirrors our current zeitgeist, a trait that A24’s highbrow productions are known for.

However, unlike Springfield from The Simpsons, which has managed to become an Everytown, enduring for decades, it’s doubtful that the 2D depiction of Hackensack in this series will achieve the same longevity. While you may empathize with the Hussein family, whether you’ll share their laughter or yearn to reconnect with them annually remains to be seen.

All eight episodes of “#1 Happy Family USA” are now available to stream on Prime.

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2025-04-17 17:18