Column: Formula 1 and quality television

Photo credit: Rebecca Brenneman/Netflix

A while ago I brought the Netflix series to my dad month under attention. I told him that the comedy revolves around a Palestinian (played by comedian Mo Amer) who has been living in the United States for years without a residence permit. My father was immediately interested. And rightly so: how many comedy series about undocumented Palestinians are there? But, my father asked, ‘Where can Mo be seen? Netflix?’ Fortunately, I was able to answer with a resounding “yes”. Because a lot of people can’t do much with a viewing advice on Apple TV+ or Starz. They’re definitely not going to subscribe to just one title. And Netflix? Almost everyone seems to have this.

Incidentally, my dad – a movie and TV enthusiast from a young age – has more streaming services at his disposal. But as far as I know, no Apple TV+ or Starz either. By the game, moreover. For European football. By chance, I discovered that with this Swedish streaming giant Rummy to see: a comedy series about an American of Egyptian origin who doubts the meaning of his existence in New Jersey. It’s a series that received little attention in the Netherlands when it was released in 2019. Is this genre – let’s call it minority quality television – a niche?

Photo Credit: Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu

Rummy is an original idea by actor and screenwriter Ramy Youssef. Youssef in turn directed the comedy series with Mo Amer month. Who month see so should in fact Rummy have. And so indeed, if only for a while, subscribe to Viaplay. But, I said to myself, isn’t Viaplay also this bastion of Formula 1? How many Dutch racing fans also watch Ramy? It is sometimes a pity that we cannot see the audience figures of the streaming services. It would be hilarious to read that there are 233 households in the Netherlands that don’t miss a Max Verstappen match and at the same time love Youssef’s humor.

Or would there be more? So I have no idea. It’s a shame, though – and yes, now I’m speaking like a snob – that people are becoming subscribers en masse to a streaming service for a sport, rather than a well-written comedy series that offers the viewer new insights about life. You almost want to say to Viaplay: hey, you have Rummy not needed at all, stole that title from Netflix at the same time. Then my acquaintances can quickly after seeing month straight. But it is of course a utopia today.

Photo credit: Rebecca Brenneman/Netflix

For this reason, I hardly recommend titles to my circle of friends and acquaintances that cannot be seen on Netflix. Yeah, maybe occasional series on HBO Max or Disney+. Then I gather my courage and start talking about David Simon’s latest project (We own this town) where the bear seems to be very good. Yet there is often a silence, after which my interlocutor sighs that he only has Netflix. I answer right away to that: look month! I also know there’s a good chance of that happening – anyway because Netflix doesn’t show Formula 1.

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