Saturday, April 1, 2023

Middle Eastern Superhero Comedy in Development at ABC

Share This Post

Yes, you read that correctly. ABC is developing a show centered around Middle Eastern characters that aren’t terrorists. Not only are they not violent stereotypes, they’re superheroes.

Created by Larry Wilmore (The Larry Wilmore Show) and Bassem Youssef (The Daily Show), the untitled series is described as a comedy, centering on the Sharif family. Your standard Middle Eastern American family is harboring a secret, mom and dad are actually superheroes. There’s just one catch. It’s kind of illegal to be a superhero, so any dashing daring do must be done in secret. The show also aims to highlight challenges faced by immigrant families trying to fit in with the dominant society that would rather treat them like the enemy.

This is the first solo project for Wilmore with ABC, though he has executive produced Insecure and Black-ish. Wilmore and Youssef will double as both writers and executive producers for this project.

Fellow Fandomental writer, Shahar, also chimed in:

It would be incredible to see Middle Eastern (and likely Muslim) superheroes! For once they’d get to lead instead of getting stuck as terrorists. Having undercover heroism is even more interesting given how people are treated on social media.

At a time when it seems like any roles for Middle Eastern characters are casting calls for Terrorist Leader, Terrorist #1, and Terrorist #2, the fact that this series has even been granted development is huge. Representation is important, and stories matter. Getting to see yourself as the hero in your own story cannot be underestimated.


Image courtesy of ABC

Author

  • Kori

    Kori is an entertainment writer and Managing Editor at the Fandomentals. In her spare time, she is a fragrance and watch enthusiast, lover of Eurovision, and Yanni devotee. Find her on Instagram at @fmkori

Latest Posts

Emma Frost Takes Over Invincible Iron Man #6 In New Variant By Rose Besch

With Fall of X rapidly approaching to upend Krakoa...

The Feminine Monster: Revulsion And Abjection Beyond Gender In Horror Films Part One – FM+

When considering the archetypal female within film, we naturally...

Faeforge Academy: Episode 129 – To Do a Thievery

Khoz and the rest of our heroes have met...

‘Next Station: London’ Connects The Dots For A Great Flip And Write Game

Next Station: London is a flip and write game...

WLW Media and Viewer Behavior

Kori and Alejandra continue their discussion of the state...

Raw Fury Announces Release Date For Monster-Collecting RPG ‘Cassette Beasts’

Raw Fury has announced that indie developer Bytten Studio’s...