“Is the Show ‘Mo’ on Netflix Inspired by Real Events?”

Comedian Mo Amer returns with the highly awaited second season of his show Mo on Netflix, which skillfully navigates the fine line between humor and tragedy.

Co-produced by Amer and Ramy Youssef, Mo tells the story of a Palestinian man who is seeking refuge in the United States with his family after growing up in Houston, Texas. As an undocumented immigrant, Mo Najjar faces challenges in finding stable employment, leading him to sell counterfeit Yeezys from his car and work as a bouncer/DJ at a strip club. Despite his struggles, he finds strength in his family and his girlfriend Maria, who his mother does not approve of.

In the new season, the series elevates as Mo gets stuck in Mexico without a passport to return to the U.S. With his family’s asylum status in jeopardy, Mo is determined to do whatever it takes to secure a better future for his loved ones.

Fans of the comedian’s previous stand-up specials Mo Amer: Mohammed in Texas and Mo Amer: The Vagabond may sense that the Netflix series bears some resemblance to Amer’s personal life. But is it based on a true story?

Keep reading to learn more.

Mo is best described as a semi-autobiographical series based on Amer’s life.

Much like the Najjar family, Amer’s family fled from Kuwait in 1990 to Houston, Texas, to escape the Iraqi invasion, where he grew up while awaiting his U.S. citizenship, according to The Guardian‘s profile of the comedian. Amer later turned to comedy when he was a teenager to cope with the sudden death of his father, who passed away when he was 14 years old, a tragic loss that also strikes Mo Najjar during his adolescence.

Several moments from the show are real events that happened to Amer in his life, including learning only years after his father’s death that he had been captured and tortured during the Gulf War.

“It was brutal, to be honest with you,” Amer said of his experience reenacting the grief for the show. He later added with a laugh, “Thankfully, it was so excruciatingly painful that I was able to tap into the emotions easily for the scene.”

Season 2 marks the end of the transformative series. But Amer has said he is “open” to returning for more.

“There’s so much more to tell,” he recently told The Hollywood Reporter. “We put everything that we had into this, and I really truly believe we’ve done the best that we can. We’ve accomplished that. Can we do more? Would I do more? Yeah, I’m open to it. I’m definitely open to it.”

Mo is now streaming on Netflix.