What the critics are saying about irreverent Irish comedy ‘Faithless’

Created by and co-starring Baz Ashmawy, the series follows an Irish-Egyptian father who tries to look after his three daughters after his wife is killed – and his family decide to “help”.

Sam (Baz Ashmawy) with Nancy (Carmen Rose Youssef) in 'Faithless'. Credit: Finn Boylan / Grand Pictures

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”.

Zein (Amir El-Masry) and Sam (Baz Ashmawy). Credit: Grand Pictures / Finn Boylan

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.

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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.

Stream free On Demand

Faithless

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Comedy drama

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Comedy drama

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