Bun B, Tobe Nwigwe, Teresa Ruiz join Mo Amer as he introduces series to Houston

Comedian Mo Amer puts Houston at the center of his new Netflix series "Mo."

Tobe Nwigwe, Bunb B, Mo Amer and Teresa Ruiz gather for a photo on the red carpet during a premiere event for Amer’s new Netflix series “Mo,” a semi-autobiographical show set in Houston on Wednesday, Aug 17, 2022. The show stars Amer, Teresa Ruiz and fellow Alief star Tobe Nwigwe. Photo: Annie Mulligan/Contributor

Four entertainers took the stage at the De Luxe Theater in Fifth Ward on Wednesday night. Comedian Mo Amer, actor Teresa Ruíz and hip-hop artists turned actors Bun B and Tobe Nwigwe were on hand to discuss "Mo," a new scripted dramatic comedy series created by Amer. Houston was the fifth star of the night.

 "Shout out to Funplex," Bun B said, drawing instant applause from a crowd of enthusiasts for the enduring entertainment complex on the southwest side of the city. Bun, who was hosting "a conversation about faith and culture" connected to the new Netflix series, admitted to having frequented the space when he was younger.

The event was designed to launch "Mo," which makes its premiere on Netflix on Aug. 24. Amer – a Palestinian whose family fled Kuwait in 1990 – has been working on the series for nine years while his stand-up comedy career has grown. The show uses parts of his life and his family's history to tell the story of Mo Najjar, who is navigating work, family, love and life as a man without an actual country. Bun commended the show for being "faithful to the city. For making it feel like Houston." 

COMEDIAN MO AMER HAS STORYTELLING IN HIS BLOOD

Attendees arrive to a premiere event at the DeLuxe Theater for Mo Amer’s new Netflix series “Mo,” a semi-autobiographical show set in Houston on Wednesday, Aug 17, 2022. Photo: Annie Mulligan/Contributor

As moderator, the rapper, who makes an appearance on the show, touched on Houston's cultural diversity, something "Mo" presents with its lead character, who at times toggles between three languages in the course of a single conversation.

Amer pitched the show to Netflix with a flashback to 1990 when his family was forced to leave Kuwait during the first Gulf War. He said the streaming platform was interested from the beginning and allowed him to execute his vision for the show. 

"It was a deal-breaker if we couldn't shoot in Houston," he said.

Like Amer, Nwigwe grew up in Alief. A hip-hop artist whose work on screen is expanding including a forthcoming "Transformers" project, Nwigwe said "Mo" was "very specific, very special."

 

 

 

  • Andrew Dansby
    Andrew Dansby

    Andrew Dansby covers culture and entertainment, both local and national, for the Houston Chronicle. He came to the Chronicle in 2004 from Rolling Stone, where he spent five years writing about music. He'd previously spent five years in book publishing, working with George R.R. Martin's editor on the first two books in the series that would become TV's "Game of Thrones. He misspent a year in the film industry, involved in three "major" motion pictures you've never seen. He's written for Rolling Stone, American Songwriter, Texas Music, Playboy and other publications.

    Andrew dislikes monkeys, dolphins and the outdoors.