Ramy Youssef is back, but this time, he’s animated. His new Prime Video series, #1 Happy Family USA, follows “the maniacally upbeat Husseins – the most patriotic, most peaceful, and most definitely-not-suspicious Muslim family in post-9/11 ‘Amreeka.'”
The animated show premieres April 17, with two seasons already in the bag. If your interest isn’t sparked already, here are all the reasons why we are hyped.
The Arab Family Experience—But Animated
Who doesn’t have a mom or aunt convinced they’ve cracked the Princess Diana case? Arab families pass down conspiracies like their heirlooms, and #1 Happy Family USA gets it. The mom’s obsession with solving Diana’s death feels straight out of our own homes. It’s giving Sabe’ Gar—the show that knew and captured our families way too well.
Tackling Xenophobia Through Absurd Comedy
Arab grandmas notoriously know exactly when and on what channel every show is playing. They don’t need Netflix—they are the recommendations. And this one? She literally carts her TV everywhere.
But in early 2000s America, to panicked onlookers, it doesn’t look like nostalgia—it looks like a bomb. The gag is outrageous, but the message is clear: paranoia and fear shape how people perceive even the most mundane things.
The American Dream, But Make It Real
Hussein Hussein was a respected cardiothoracic surgeon back home. In America? He’s running a halal cart. His 12-year-old son, Rumi, is just trying (and failing) to fit in.
It’s the immigrant struggle in a nutshell—giving up status, identity, and dreams for a shot at something better. Youssef himself said if a show like #1 Happy Family USA had existed when he was younger, it would’ve made him feel less alone. “It probably would’ve been too inappropriate for me, but I would’ve watched it anyway.”
An Animated Show That Pushes Boundaries—With South Park’s Pam Brady
#1 Happy Family USA had to be animated. “If you tried to do it another way, it would just be incredibly offensive,” Ramy Youssef admitted. Animation lets the absurdity run wild, pushing humor to the extreme without losing its bite.
Think Rick and Morty meets South Park, but with a very specific Arab American twist. To give it the right comedic edge, Youssef even brought in South Park writer and producer Pam Brady to help craft the series.
A Post-9/11 Story That’s Still Relevant Today
#1 Happy Family USA is set in the early 2000s, but somehow, nothing has changed. Youssef initially saw the show as a time capsule—until he realized how relevant it still is. “That heightened surveillance state, the fear of being perceived as a threat—it never really went away. It just changed shape.” With today’s politics, #1 Happy Family USA might be even more timely than intended.
Ramy Voicing Both Father and Son? We’re Here for It
The voice cast is stacked—Alia Shawkat, Chris Redd, Mandy Moore, Akaash Singh, Salma Hindy, and more. But Youssef himself pulls double duty, voicing both 12-year-old Rumi and his father, Hussein. His inspiration? Childhood recordings where he narrated book reports to avoid writing them. Just another reason the show feels so real.
If you like your comedy absurd, satirical, and brutally honest about being Muslim in America, #1 Happy Family USA is about to be your new favorite show—sharp, unfiltered, and way too real.
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