throwntosafety

This is more of a one-man show than your typical stand-up comedy special. Instead of 25 different bits, Hasan tells different stories about his life, both hilarious and heartbreaking. It wouldn't work if his storytelling ability wasn't so brilliant, but his timing and ability to connect with the audience at each point are spot on. Even if you didn't grow up with immigrant parents, anyone who has ever felt like an outsider will identify with his stories.

The show took a great premise and ruined it by terrible casting and awful writing. First, the show takes place in Maine, which is the whitest state in the nation at 95+ percent and with a sizable population of people of French Canadian ancestry. Yet the main cast is half black and Hispanic and there is not a single person in the show with a French last name. This is completely absurd. Nor does anyone have any kind of Maine accent, not even the older people who get the occasional line, very bizarre for a small Maine town by the coast. There are other bad casting decisions but I won't list them because of spoilers.

There is nobody in the show who is likable in any way, so you won't root for anybody. The twists and turns themselves are so stupid, and the behavior from the supposed professionals (cops, journalists) is so gross you won't understand why they are still involved with the case at all. The constant flashbacks and time jumps are very distracting, and not done in any kind of intriguing manner at all (think "Lost").

Don't waste your time with this - for a much better series with a believable backdrop that won't make you roll your eyes every two minutes, check out the BBC show "The Missing." That one is already filming a second season while "The Family" seems headed for cancellation for good reason.