‘Mo’ Creator-Star Mo Amer On Creating A “Realistic” Portrayal Of The Immigrant Experience: “It’s A Tremendous Responsibility. I’m Happy To Be A Part Of Moving That Forward” – Contenders TV

Destiny Jackson
Updated ·2 min read
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Mo star and creator Mo Amer discussed the difficulties and tender vulnerability that comes with addressing his family’s hardships and experiences when he joined Deadline’s Contenders TV event Sunday.

The Netflix comedy-drama series, also co-created with Ramy Youssef, is inspired by Amer’s real-life experiences as a Palestinian refugee in America. The show explores the life of Amer and his family in Houston as they try to attain U.S. citizenship while working odd jobs to stay afloat. Teresa Ruiz, Omar Elba and Tobe Nwigwe also star.

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Trying to explain the many nuances of the American legal immigration system, whether on or off screen, certainly has its challenges, something Amer thought long and hard about while penning the series.  “Doing something that’s so incredibly personal to you, that’s a scary thing,” Amer said. “It sounds like it might be easy and something that is just in your wheelhouse, but quite frankly, it’s the most challenging thing I’ve ever done. It requires a lot of intestinal fortitude, especially when [telling a story] that is [as] painful as mine.”

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Amer also described what it was like to unearth untold stories about his childhood from his mother, dealing with the grief of losing his father as a teenager, and the feedback he’s been receiving from other American immigrants while on tour.

“I’ve always been attracted to creating content that only makes you laugh or feel something deeply and makes you think. That was always the goal for me.” Amer said. “Touring [as a stand-up comic] directly after the show [came] out and seeing how much of an impact the show has had on just not the Arab, Palestinian or Muslim community, but also Black folks and the Latino community have come up to me, and can’t believe that someone was able to achieve a show that was so realistic and grounded in the immigration experience. People are so deeply emotional when they feel seen for the very first time on television. And I couldn’t be more grateful. It’s a tremendous responsibility and something I don’t take lightly. I think we need more of it, and I’m just happy to be a small part of moving that forward.”

RELATED: The Contenders TV – Deadline’s Full Coverage

Mo was renewed in January for a second and final season on Netflix.

Check out the panel video above.

Deadline Contenders Television is sponsored by Apple TV+, Coverfly, Eyepetizer, Final Draft, Los Siete Misterios, Michter’s, and Village Roadshow Entertainment. Partners include: Four Seasons Resort Maui, The American Pavilion, Julia Wong Designs and Pampring.

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