Hulu Could Finally Be Giving Us the Muslim Comedy We've Been Waiting For

With 18 Emmy nominations and eight wins this year (including Outstanding Drama Series for Handmaid’s Tale), Hulu has made its mark as a producer of original content. It seems they’re only ramping up their production, teaming up with A24, the production company behind Moonlight, to order a pilot for a Muslim comedy show starring stand-up Ramy Youssef.

The show was co-created by Youssef, Jerrod Carmichael, and Ari Katcher (the latter two co-created NBC’s The Carmichael Show) and promises a unique perspective on the Muslim American experience. The description, via Deadline:

The untitled show, which Youssef co-created and co-wrote with Katcher and Ryan Welch, centers on Youssef’s distinct point-of-view as a contemporary Egyptian-American Muslim, caught between multiple worlds and what it means to be Arab, American, and Muslim at a time when each of those identity markers is going through a crisis of definition.

Youssef already incorporates his Muslim identity into his stand-up, giving us an earnest look at the Muslim American experience, so hopefully the show plays to his strengths.

Once again it’s refreshing to see stories from talented people of color like Yousseff, who is also set to appear on the upcoming season of Mr. Robot, getting recognition from major platforms, and it will definitely be interesting to see how the pilot shapes up. It’s also a rare breath of fresh air in an industry that all too often denies Muslims the chance to tell stories about themselves in non-stereotypical ways—or, even worse, gives them that chance and then yanks it away.