You may have seen Mo Amer in one of his comedy specials on Netflix. In his last special titled “Mohammed in Texas”, none other than Dwayne The Rock Johnson himself claims to be from the SWAT as he introduces Amer to the hometown crowd; and the Black Adam costar has certainly been making a lot of noise on his way from stand-up comedian to household name.
His new series Mo, now streaming on Netflix, is a continuation of this rise, and it looks like he’s bringing all of Houston with him. From the moment the show starts, you can recognize the city shining in the background over the sounds of Sittin’ Sideways, but this isn’t just a story about Houston. It’s the story of a Palestinian refugee trying to make it in a city that can be unforgiving. The cast is as diverse as H-Town itself, and costars include Teresa Ruiz, Farah Bsieso and the SWAT’s very own Tobe Nwigwe. The soundtrack is unapologetically Houston, reaching back into the city’s archives for jams from Fat Pat, Big Moe, Point Blank and more. There’s cameos from Bun B and Paul Wall among others, and of course there’s bottles of lean, double cups, and slabs with popped trunks and neon lights sittin’ on swangas. The settings include everything from the streets of Alief to the Breakfast Club and all stops in between, but don’t get it confused, this is more than just a glorified video from the travel bureau.
The premise of the show has been done before, illegal immigrant trying hard to hustle up a good life in a country that makes it near impossible to succeed within the confines of the legal system, but to see a Palestinian family, and one from Houston no less, does give it a new twist. Mo is refreshingly devoid of any political trappings and instead focuses on the story at hand. The background story of the family is treated with heart and a dash of humor, and I couldn’t help but enjoy the lighthearted interactions between Palestinian and Israeli characters as they argued about past wars and resulting borders while enjoying a bowl of hummus.
The show starts with Mo losing his job over legal status concerns, and quickly sees him selling bootleg items out of his trunk to make a few bucks. During the season he argues with his woman, deals with family issues, runs afoul of the wrong people, picks olives, and ends up in Mexico by mistake at one point. This is a comedy, so there’s plenty of jokes, as Mo continually puts on a happy face when dealing with people, but the cameras keep rolling when he’s alone in his car sinking into the depression that hard times and past trauma can cause. The references are current, with two paramedics arguing over whether or not a shooting qualifies for “mass” status in one scene. The wardrobe is timeless, with Mo choosing to rock Houston themed t shirts in most scenes. And the story is universal, as we all just want a safe place to hang our Astros hats.
The acting is top notch, and the cast proves more than capable of making you care about their characters. Nwigwe exhibits an ease on screen that shows he wasn’t cast strictly due to his name and where he’s from. When I watch most shows set in the south there’s a tendency to want to overdo the accents and southern charm, but Mo doesn’t overplay it. It stays true to real life, and to me, that balance is perfectly captured in one scene early on where Mo pops his trunk and sells an older gentleman a pair of Yeezy’s and a bootleg purse. With 8 episodes at about 30 minutes each, the season is over long before you’re ready to say goodbye to the SWAT.
As the son of two immigrants myself, one of them Greek, I could relate to Mo. Coming to Houston at a young age and growing up on the southwest with a father that loved olive oil, and a mother who didn’t get her citizenship until a couple of years ago, I found that the show spoke to me like few before, so admittedly, that may affect my judgment. Mo is far from perfect, but it’s perfectly entertaining. If you’re expecting a silly sitcom about a middle eastern guy in the south, then you just might be disappointed. If you want a show that has humor and heart, then prepare to be pleasantly surprised. If nothing else, Mo was worth the watch just to see the city I love on the screen, but if you’re a fan of humanity and all of its different aspects, then seeing Mo cry, lie, laugh and struggle with everything from addiction to the immigration process is a must see and well worth your time.
Mo definitely represents for the city, and the only complaint I have is that he wasn’t doing it in any of my shirts; but I guess there’s always time for that in season 2.
On my rating scale of 12 oz – 2 liters, Mo is a must watch and I give it a muddy muddy 2 liter.
Chris P is an artist and the owner of 713 shirts.
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