Without being a member of a particular culture, it’s always difficult to determine how authentic a particular story is when it rests so heavily on the tropes and dynamics of said culture. But, even without a basis to judge authenticness, every great story of this type always carries a detectable level of authority that says “I know what I’m talking about.” Mr. Robot had it, One Day at a Time had it, and now it can be said Hulu’s latest half-hour, Ramy, has it too.
Co-created by and starring Ramy Youssef, Ramy follows the life of a young Muslim man living in New York City as he attempts to navigate dating life for the first time with a desire to date a Muslim woman.
There’s a lot of love about Ramy. It’s lead is highly entertaining, and the show does follow the cardinal rule of sitcoms which is funny first and funny always. But, while maintaining the funny, it does not fall into the trap many other of its type do. The show manages to keep up the representation throughout no matter what. It has its cake and eats it too. Never opting to pick between the two.
Something about the POV of Ramy feels like it’s coming from a real place many are not privy to. A place of how things are done and why and how many of those ways are outdated in relation to modern culture for the young ones is predominately present and appreciated throughout the series.
Even more so worth nothing is how relatable Ramy feels while still being unique in the aforementioned POV. The problems Ramy deals with, particularly in the terms of being an ever-present disappointment to his supremely religious parents so long as he remains single, are not unique to the main character’s culture. In fact, by going so specific, what has emerged is a wholly relatable experience that really delivers on the soul of what it’s trying to achieve.
Overall, Ramy is a worthy addition to the television landscape and is one audiences should be supremely excited for. In time, it could grow into one of those cultural mainstays viewers can’t stop talking about. If Hulu does its job and gets the show in front of the right eyeballs, we could be looking at the next One Day at a Time in terms of beloved representation. And who can’t be interested in that?
Ramy premieres Friday, April 19th on Hulu
