Meet Ramy Youssef’s latest project, a coming-of-age adult-animated series called #1 Happy Family USA. Although this show premiered this week on Amazon Prime, Ramy showcased at SXSW last month and premiered the first 3 episodes.
The new A24 show, #1 Happy Family USA, is co-produced by Pam Brady, writer for South Park, and follows the Hussein family in “Amreeka” aka New Jersey, and what it’s like being Muslim in the post-9/11 era. The main character, Rumi, voiced by Youssef, learns about how to code-switch in order to survive school, filled with unnecessary comments that come his way. With it being 2025 under a second Trump presidency, this storyline isn’t too far away from what Muslim and immigrant families have to endure today.
The animations were created by Mona Chalabi, an illustrator and journalist, who also joined as an executive producer.
Ramy uses satire and absurdity to define hardship in America as the show’s characters try to fit in and find a way to navigate this new, uncalled-for suspicion towards them. Outside of Ramy Youssef, the series includes an all-star cast of voice actors such as Alia Shawkat, Mandy Moore, Chris Redd, Salma Hindy, and more.
You can watch all 8 episodes on Amazon Prime now.