All-American Muslim

TLC’s new show, All-American Muslim, is a documentary-like television program about Muslim families living in Dearborn, Michigan. The show follows five different families as they live their day to day lives, in the American city with the largest Muslim population. This is an intriguing show, one that gives the viewers a chance to learn more about American Muslims. As this show is a documentary, its focus is on creating characters, establishing the relationships between characters, and the framing natural storyline. Although the show highlights the differences between the typical American and a Muslim American, it also focuses on the similarities. An example of a difference is that many Muslim women wear hijabs, the traditional head covering. Contrastingly, a similarity is that one of the men is the football coach at the local high school. Even though the show is a documentary, the producers make it interesting, by not only following a variety of people, but by including group confessional/discussion scenes. These scenes offer a break from the actual footage, as well as giving further insight to an issue presented in the footage. This also gives that cast members a chance to discuss their personal beliefs with one another. The show is both captivating and educational. I think that this show is a success; it is an interesting documentary, and I plan to watch the subsequent episodes.