One of the central principles of LaineyGossip is that if Timothy Olyphant emerges, I must write about him, so behold, here is Timothy at the premiere of the new Prime Video animated show, #1 Happy Family USA, which is from comedian Ramy Youssef.
Olyphant voices a character in the show, yet he looks ever so slightly “what am I doing here” at the premiere, like he accidentally wandered in from the street. Timothy works in more things than he shows up for at this point in his career, so I’m taking it as a good sign that he turned up for Ramy.
Like his award-winning show Ramy, #1 Happy Family USA mines Youssef’s own experiences, though this time he’s looking back to his childhood for inspiration. Check out the trailer:
I particularly like the bit with the ululating voice on the soundtrack singing “what are you looking at” at a neighbor. The ululating singer in soundtracks is an overused trope of MENA-coded films and TV shows (Dune is not beating those cultural appropriation charges), so this is a great bit for those who recognize the trope, and anyone who remembers the suspicion-soaked atmosphere of post-9/11 America.
I’m always interested in what Ramy Youssef is up to, he’s a multi-talented multi-hyphenate and animation is a flexible medium that can yield spectacular results when combining childhood elements with adult perspective (see also: Big Mouth), so I have some hopes for #1 Happy Family USA. Also, Ramy has another show coming up, Golf, which he co-created with Will Ferrell and Josh Rabinowitz. That one is for Lainey.
Besides Ramy voicing his avatar Rumi, the show also includes vocal performances from Alia Shawkat, Chris Redd, the aforementioned Timothy Olyphant, and Mandy Moore, who was not at the premiere, but Shawkat and Redd were. Alia Shawkat’s style remains unique.
