Maz Jobrani Plays a Regular, Arab American Character on New CBS Show
Maz Jobrani as Fawz and Judd Hirsch as Arthur in “Superior Donuts.”BY: Nisreen Eadeh/Staff Writer
Iranian American comedian Maz Jobrani is playing an Arab American character on the CBS comedy show, Superior Donuts.
The show premiered on February 2, 2017 and features a fairly diverse cast of well-known comedic actors, including Jermaine Fowler, Katey Segal, and David Koechner. The show revolves around a donut shop in Chicago that is struggling to stay open. Shop owner Arthur Przbyszewski (Judd Hirsch) hires a new employee, Franco Wicks (Jermaine Fowler), who tries to make improvements and modernize the store.
Maz Jobrani plays an Arab American character known as Fawz, a wealthy real estate developer who offers to buy the donut shop. Since Fawz wants to tear it down, Aurther hires Franco instead. Fawz is also the owner of a nearby dry-cleaning store, which faces topical issues, such as robbery and violence.
Although only seven episodes have aired, the show has received pretty decent reviews. Viewers love the cast and timely plot, but are not fans of the show’s laugh track.
Whether the show continues beyond its trial period is still being discussed. However, seeing a regular Arab American character on a major network television show is refreshing and welcomed. Middle Eastern actors have been forced into one-dimensial roles, such as “terrorist #3” or “bodega owner”, but it seems that CBS is finally following the footsteps of other shows like Fresh Off The Boat that are turning minorities into complex, relatable characters.
Maz Jobrani has a long career as a stand-up comedian. He is the founder of the “Axis of Evil” comedy tour, which he did with many Arab American comedians. He has dedicated much of his work to dispelling stereotypes and making Arabs and Iranians look like real people.