Mo is a comedy-drama series released on Netflix on 24 August 2022. It is a semi-autobiographical series inspired by Amer’s life as a Palestinian refugee growing up in Houston. Created by comedians Mo Amer and Ramy Youssef. The series is executive produced by Ravi Nandan and Hallie Sekoff for A24, Harris Danow, and Luvh Rakhe.
The series is directed by Solvan ‘Slick’ Naim and there are 8 episodes in total with a runtime of about 30 minutes. Starring Mohammed Amer as Mo Najjar, Teresa Ruiz as Maria, Omar Elba as Sameer, Farah Bsieso as Yusra Najjar, Cherien Dabis as Nadia, Tobe Nwigwe as Nick, Walt Roberts, Amanda Joy Erickson as Olivia, Samuel Davis as Damon, Kamal Zayed and Lee Eddy as Lizzie Horowitz.
-Mo Review Does Not Contain Any Spoilers-
The lead of the series Mohammed Najjar straddles the line between two cultures, three languages and a ton of bullshit as a Palestinian refugee constantly living one step away from the asylum on the path to U.S. citizenship. His family which includes his resilient and spiritual mother, sister and older brother, flee to Houston, Texas and start a new life. Laughing the pain away, he learns to adapt to his new world though, getting ahead in life comes with several setbacks.
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Our lead works at a mobile repair shop which hires illegal immigrants and ICE (which stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security) raided one of the shops of the owner, thus he fires Najjar, as he can’t legally work without proper citizenship.
This is the biggest concern for our lead and his family, even after living in the United States for 22 years, they haven’t gotten citizenship due to one or other reasons, coming their way. They are asylees in the country but to get employment and other benefits as a citizen, they need to get the legal papers.
But after being fired, he resorts to selling fake merchandise to people on the side, while looking for work from strip club DJ to olive farm worker. Carrying a traumatic past of fleeing their home to losing his father, Mo believes he has to take care of his family, consisting of a conservative mother and an autistic brother.
He is a simple guy who wants a good, stable job, marry his Mexican girlfriend and get legal citizenship. Every time he is so close to getting it all together but something comes his way and ruins it all. The worst thing he has ever done is steal a 20$ note from his shop’s cash register as a kid and be caught by his father.
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Yet, now that he has finally got a hold of a good lawyer who will help his case, he hilariously gets involved in all the bad things from drugs and shooting to illegally entering another country. The show covers a lot of ground, making the political personal, vivid and wholly involving the audience on the journey.
It covers a number of subjects like the prejudice against immigrants, struggles to make ends meet and the political as well as economic scenario of the country. And rightly does so in a witty manner that doesn’t make the script too drama heavy.
Final Thoughts: Stream it or Skip it?
This Netflix comedy is a show that everyone should watch once. It tells a heartwarming story of a family of asylees trying to find a safe haven from the disastrous world. They may have lost everything but they don’t sit back and cry about it. They keep moving forward, carrying on a part of who they are and where they came from.
Each episode title suggests what the lead character is going through in his life. In the first episode titled, ‘Hamoodi’, we get to know who this Mo guy actually is. Likewise, when he learns the unsettling truth about his father’s death, the episode is titled ‘Remorse’, as he tries to numb the pain and trauma instead of dealing with it.
Overall, the series is a quick watch, while telling a lot in its runtime but still keeping the plot to the point. We are instantly invested in his story, laughing at every joke and empathising when struck with tragedy.
Mo is currently streaming on Netflix.
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