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.
