The new Hulu sitcom Ramy chronicles the life of a Muslim, millennial male (by the same name) as he navigates his faith and singledom. It centers around his New Jersey community where he grew up and still lives with his Egyptian-born parents and his younger, feminist sister. Ramy Hassan strives to live the life of a good Muslim— praying often, fasting during Ramadan, and respecting his elders, while also questioning many aspects of traditional Islamic culture. Ramy is a sympathetic character whose “shortcomings” are that he’s not ready for marriage but cannot resist the temptations of premarital sex, mostly with Jewish women.
Ramy’s kindness is on full display as he helps care for Steve, his cynical, sarcastic childhood friend who uses a wheelchair. Ramy’s other close friends are married Muslim men with successful careers who defy negative stereotypes of Muslim American men (who are commonly portrayed as violent, oppressive to women, and intolerant of other religions). Instead, they outwardly worry for Ramy’s soul, even though they occasionally drink, encourage Ramy to experiment with drugs, and give him questionable dating advice emblematic of many immature men in their twenties. While the focus of the series is on Ramy, his sister Dena is a scene-stealer— calling attention to the double standards by their parents and their problematic uncle (who will pleasantly surprise viewers along the way) while lamenting her destiny of living with her parents until marriage.
Ramy tackles misogyny, Islamaphobia (current-day and post-9/11), racism, anti-semitism, ableism, politics, and globalism in a soulful and honest way. Tune in for plenty of laughs with lines like “Ramadan is Muslim Coachella.” And stay for the moments of clarity when discussing his “Jewish curls” with a girl he’s interested in. Showrunner Bridget Bedard (from Transparent) helms Ramy, and she runs a writer’s room filled with first-time television writers. Ramy was just picked up for a second season, so viewers will be treated to more from the lovable and loving Hassan family.
Take Action! Hulu subscribers— tune in to Ramy, a sitcom with a huge heart. Ramy is #MediaWeLike!
