'Mo' on Netflix, the acclaimed social media series that speaks to Palestinians

The series Mo on Netflix © Netflix

Text by: Alice Froussard Follow

2 mins

It's called

, it's an eight-part miniseries on Netflix, and it's the near-autobiographical account of Mohammed Amer - a Palestinian-American known in real life for his

shows .

In this series, he tells the story of a family of Palestinians, expelled from Kuwait during the first Gulf War, who found refuge in Texas, in the United States.

An undocumented family, without health insurance, facing the challenges of today's America.

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From our correspondent in Ramallah

, 

The series has already attracted thousands of viewers and received rave reviews from Palestinians.

A young Palestinian-American underlines it on Twitter, it is “

On screen, we follow this undocumented Palestinian family desperately waiting to be regularized.

Everything is told with great humor.

Say hello to H-town's finest.

Mo — an inspired new comedy series created by @realmoamer and @ramy Youssef, and produced by @A24 — is now on Netflix.

pic.twitter.com/Olu2o0CMaG

— Netflix (@netflix) August 25, 2022

Mo, a refugee without nationality

But the more serious subjects are not lacking in depth: references to the Israeli occupation, racism against Muslims, and scenes that show all the absurdity and brutality of the situation of these refugees: the fact for example that a dog, during a police check, has a "canine passport" attached to its harness, or even their impossibility of leaving the United States at the risk of never returning there, and ending up with no somewhere to go.

“

,” Mo explains in the series.

So in Ramallah, in Gaza, in Jerusalem, many discover that despite the geographical distance with Mo and his family, the problems are common and the cultures come together. 

I'm not sure many people grasp how big a deal it is that @realmoamer is getting his own scripted comedy about a fictionalized version of his life as a Palestinian refugee, ON NETFLIX.

This is a major moment for Palestinian representation, and it needs to be talked about.

🧵

— Tariq Raouf (@tariq_raouf) August 10, 2022

“It's the first ever show created by, starring a Palestinian, and showing a Palestinian family on television.”

-@realmoamer on #MoNetflix breaking boundaries in American television.

#FallonTonight pic.twitter.com/YqynfZsKO4

— The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) September 13, 2022

Talking about the Palestinians differently

This is the first time that a Palestinian family has taken center stage in an American series.

The Palestinians are evoked with humor, with a lot of humanity, in a striking and resonant way.

On social networks, many Palestinians point out: this series talks about Palestine by taking it out of its negative or serious connotation, without associating it with war or terrorism, a first on a

American network .

There are also all those little touches scattered throughout the story, which Palestinians associate with, making the series one of a kind: the bottle of olive oil, passed around like a pack of cigarettes, which heals all evils.

The love and respect for hummus, the pressure of marriage, with someone of the same religion, and the memories of a country - Palestine - that Mo will never see again.

In Texas, the latter embraces his roots, wears his keffiyeh, wonders about the absurdity of his situation and thus gently gives greater visibility to the Palestinian cause.

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