Ramy Youssef: Forever asked to defend himself
As “the news” gets more troubling and life seems more contentious, even comedy can seem like tap-dancing on the third rail. “Ramy Youssef: More Feelings” (10 p.m. Saturday, HBO, TV-MA) offers reflections from the comedian and actor, the star of the Hulu comedy series “Ramy” and recently seen in the Oscarwinning 2023 fantasy “Poor Things,” as well as FX’s “The Bear.”
Youssef, a New York-born EgyptianAmerican whose grandfather was a U.N. translator, has long been put in the awkward spot of explaining, when not defending, Muslim culture to an American audience that seems suspicious, if not hostile, to most things Islamic. He makes the most of his soft-spoken delivery and cerebral nature, contrasting his performance to those of Muslim spokespeople showcased on CNN and elsewhere.
His standup special, a follow up to his 2019 “Feelings” effort, arrives against the background of the Gaza-Israel tragedy, a conflict that has divided the entertainment community as it has society at large. True to his calling to mine humor even from the most difficult subjects, he manages to make a joke about Hamas early in the proceedings.
› Speaking of entertainment blending with, or rather bleeding into, tragic reality, “The Regime” (9 p.m., Sunday, HBO, TV-MA) continues after a major shift in plot. Herbert Zubak, the earthy corporal and man of the people who inspired wobbly Chancellor Elena Vernham (Kate Winslet) to cut ties with the West, has been imprisoned.
Elena finds herself in increasingly desperate straits as the economy teeters on collapse. Her appeals to the populace and her declarations of authoritarian “love” appear all the more shrill and delusional. Not to give too much away, but this episode brings the appearance of Edward Keplinger (Hugh Grant), the main opposition leader, a former chancellor and longtime public bogeyman demonized by Elana’s ministry of propaganda.
While there is no faulting the performances here, particularly Winslet’s, many viewers and critics have wondered just exactly what “The Regime” is saying or satirizing.
At a time when so many period pieces have turned history and literature into consequencefree multicultural fairy tales like “Bridgerton” and Apple’s recent “Buccaneers” adaptation, “The Regime” asks viewers to spend time in a hellscape of a decaying central European dictatorship. Why? It’s a peculiar world where Americans are resented but countries like Russia are never mentioned, despite the fact that Elena’s form of personalized populism hews close to that of Vladimir Putin or Hungary’s Viktor Orban. What exactly is the point of this elaborate satire?
For those keeping score, Sundays have become quite the night for Andrea Riseborough. The English actress appears in “The Regime” as Agnes, the palace manager whose ailing child has been all but adopted by Elena. She’s also a title character in the new PBS “Masterpiece” series “Alice & Jack.”