"I don’t know what kind of Muslim I am.": RAMY (US 2019–2022), MO (US 2022–2025), and the Reappropriation of the "American Muslim" in Contemporary Prestige TV

Abstract

This article examines evolving representations of Islam and Muslims in American television through case studies of the series RAMY (Hulu, US 2019–2022) and MO (Netflix, US 2022–2025). Drawing on a diachronic framework that traces portrayals of Muslim identities from the early 2000s to the present, the study situates these series within a broader historical and cultural context. Early depictions, as critiqued by scholars like Amir Hussain in 2009, often relegated Muslims to one-dimensional roles characterized by negativity and violence, reinforcing exclusionary narratives. In contrast, RAMY and its counterpart MO signal a significant shift toward more authentic and more complex representations. These series foreground intersections of race, religion, and cultural identity, offering narratives that are deeply personal and structurally aware.