Tragedy and comedy don’t always mix well – but Baz Ashmawy’s new series Faithless has been winning praise for doing just that, with the tale of less-than-successful writer Sam (played by Ashmawy), who is left to raise his three daughters after his wife is killed in a tragic accident. He’s not alonE in his struggle, though – along with the sometimes-frustrating efforts of his Egyptian father Mo (Raad Rawi) and Irish mother-in-law Dymphna (Eleanor Methven), his self-centred but charming half-brother Zein (Amir El-Masry) moves in to ‘help’ and never leaves. The results are raw, funny, and unpredictable. Or as the Irish Examiner puts it, “[this] Baz Ashmawy comedy feels like Derry Girls set in Bray and it's just as good”.
Ashmawy, best known as a TV and radio presenter (he won an International Emmy for 50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy), created and co-wrote the series, and has said he wanted to reflect the “new Ireland” in a way that isn’t seen on TV. “I have a Serbian wife, I have a Greek Orthodox Serbian mother-in-law, I have a Roman Catholic mother, I have a Muslim sister…” he tells Drama Quarterly. “We are the new Ireland. That is what it looks like, and I don’t see it.”
The ups and downs of the six-part series are ones that many can relate to, though: family squabbles, things so bad you just have to laugh, finding a way to step up when needed, quiet moments of joy. And audiences and critics have been loving it.
Here’s what the critics are saying…
"Here is a sitcom that fuses grief and jokes in a way that few truly dare to. It’s a difficult feat to draw together light and darkness in a way that neither compromises the humour nor makes flippant the treatment of the subject matter – those shows that manage it are among the very elite – and Faithless merits major bouquets for how well it pulls it off." – The Sydney Morning Herald
"It deftly juggles moments of sweetness and melancholy with bouts of slapstick silliness and shafts of pitch-black humour."- Irish Independent
"Taking a comedic, tantalisingly honest and insightful look at an emerging Ireland, the series shines a light on some uncomfortable truths about gender roles, grief, identity, acceptance, faith and happiness." – Dublin Live
"Baz Ashmawy comedy feels like Derry Girls set in Bray and it's just as good."- Irish Examiner
"It brings a glimpse of modern Ireland to the small screen, depicting the Muslim faith, and single fatherhood, with a dash of comedy thrown in … those tuning in at home have been glued to the series from the get-go." – Evoke
“A comedic and insightful look at multicultural Ireland.” – Screenhub
"Baz Ashmawy’s irreverent new comedy isn’t subtle but it is brutally funny." - The Irish Times
"Confident comedy debut."- The Irish Herald
"Faithless is fresh and new in more ways than one."
- Irish Examiner
"Baz Ashmawy’s sitcom debut Faithless delights in unexpected ways."- Irish Independent
The full season of Faithless is streaming now at SBS On Demand. The season is also airing on SBS VICELAND 9.25pm Mondays from 15 April.
