Ramy
By Joyce Slaton,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Language, sex in comedy about balancing faith, modern life.
Rate TV showA Lot or a Little?
What you willāand won'tāfind in this TV show.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Ramy
Community Reviews
Based on 2 parent reviews
highly acclaimed, but quite crass
We love Ramy!
What's the Story?
RAMY (Ramy Youssef) lives in two worlds: on one hand he's a standard-issue millennial bro with a job at a startup company and a busy hangout schedule, on the other, he's a devout Muslim trying to fit himself into the traditional life his family envisions for him. His culture tells him that it's time for him to marry, have children, make a career. Meanwhile, he's living with his parents, barely holding on at work, and aimlessly dating when the mood strikes him. He's not sure what's ahead for him, but at least he's trying to get somewhere.
Is It Any Good?
By turns sweet and sardonically amusing in the Master of None vein, this entry in the Young Man on the Verge of Adulthood genre is affecting and goes down easy. It certainly helps that Ramy's Muslim heritage makes for a lot of comical moments many viewers probably haven't seen on screen before, like when a mosque elder takes time to criticize Ramy for not washing properly between his toes before prayer ("When you address God, you must be clean!") or when Ramy's snarky sister Dena (May Calamawy) evades an uncomfortable reunion with a misogynistic uncle by pretending she has her period.
Speaking of Dena and other female characters, one of the most powerful aspects of Ramy is the focus it puts on the expectations on women in the Muslim culture. Ramy complains when his mom (Hiam Abbass) gently urges him to find a nice Muslim girl to settle down with, but Dena's already getting pressure from her parents to provide them with grandchildren. A fascinating scene in Ramy's first episode provides more perspective on what women of Ramy's age and station are going through, when a date with a "proper" Muslim woman winds up as a steamy makeout session in a car. The woman asks Ramy if he brought a condom, offers to get an over-the-phone nikah mut'ah (a temporary "pleasure marriage" that's controversial in Islam) to make him comfortable enough to have sex, and finally resorts to asking directly for what she wants sexually, which is for Ramy to choke her while she masturbates. When he demurs, she criticizes Ramy for putting her in a "Muslim box." In this scene, as in so many others, Ramy rings true -- and real, and extraordinarily, delightfully different.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the use of humor in Ramy. Does it help viewers understand and relate to aspect of Ramy's history and culture that we may not share? Are we laughing at or with the characters? Do the jokes on Ramy seem different from those on sitcoms that are aired on network television? How? Do the jokes that center on race, religion, and/or ethnicity ever make you uncomfortable? Are they supposed to?
Do you know any other shows that star main characters who also write and produce the show? How does Ramy compare with these shows? Why would an actor want to write a show for him or herself to star in? How autobiographical do you believe this series to be?
How do the characters in Ramy demonstrate integrity and gratitude? Why are these important character strengths?
TV Details
- Premiere date: April 15, 2019
- Cast: Ramy Youssef , Mohammed Amer , Dave Merheje
- Network: Hulu
- Genre: Drama
- Character Strengths: Gratitude , Integrity
- TV rating: NR
- Award: Golden Globe - Golden Globe Award Winner
- Last updated: July 12, 2024
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Watch
Our Editors Recommend
TV Shows with Diverse Characters
Comedy TV Shows for Teens
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate