In The Promised Land, Mitch Hudson reimagines the biblical journey of Moses and the Hebrewites as a clever mockumentary reminiscent of The Office, blending history and humor in a fresh, indie TV format. With a talented cast bringing nuanced, often unexpected performances, this six-episode series invites viewers to experience an ancient story through a distinctly modern lens—no miracles spoiled here.
What You’ll Find in This Article
- The Snapshot: The Promised Land in a Nutshell
- The Performances of The Cast of The Promised Land
- The Careers of Wasim No’mani, Majed Sayess and Shereen Khan
The Snapshot: The Promised Land in a Nutshell
A mockumentary in the style of The Office follows Moses and the Hebrewites as they wander through the desert after their exodus from Egypt.
(The Promised Land premieres on YouTube October 3, with episodes dropping weekly).
The Performances of The Cast of The Promised Land
There’s something that has become cliched about the mockumentary, primarily because it is so often done ham handedly. It all started with Albert Brooks and Real Life in 1979, followed by the pinnacle of the genre, This is Spinal Tap, in 1984.
Over the years, there have been too many other examples to count, most of them forgettable. But now and again, a truly great version appears, as with both the English and American versions of The Office.
To compare the new indie TV sitcom The Promised Land with either of those shows is a disservice to The Promised Land, but it’s worth mentioning solely because the new series, the brainchild of Mitch Hudson, is one of the better recent examples of the genre.
Hudson has been the first assistant director on the Amazon series The Chosen for the entirety of its five year run. That series, about the life of Jesus Christ, is taken as much from scripture and actual history as possible, and is a conventional historical drama. But when the show’s producers approached Hudson about possibly tackling the life of Moses, with the same historical and scriptural parameters, but doing so comedically and as a mockumentary, Hudson jumped at the chance.
The entire six episode first season, which will air for free on YouTube, was produced independently, and if enough people watch it, there will be a second season and maybe more. Hudson has a plan for a total of 40 episodes and a movie, seeing as how the number 40 (40 days and nights, 40 years in the desert) are so prevalent in Moses’ story.
But while Hudson is a talented filmmaker, and the novelty of the show itself will get plenty of viewers to tune in, the reason they’ll stay is because of the characters themselves, primarily Moses and his siblings, Aaron and Miriam, played respectively by Wasim No’mani, Majed Sayess, and Shereen Khan.
No’Mani’s Moses is not terribly funny, but then, he doesn’t need to be. When he is, it’s almost by accident, which is by design. When we think of Moses, we think of Charlton Heston, this majestic white man who controls the situation and is a great leader to his people.
But the Torah’s version of Moses is very different, and No’mani plays him accordingly. His Moses is insecure and a bit jealous of his more charismatic younger brother, while also coming into his own as a leader by learning to delegate and accept his own limitations.
The legendary TV director James Burrows has talked about how every good show needs a strong “center,” a character around whom all the craziness can rotate, like Cheers and Sam Malone, or The Big Bang Theory and Sheldon Cooper. No’Mani’s Moses is not quite in that category, but with his natural charm and gravitas, he provides a formidable star for his co-stars to orbit. When he does stumble into his comedic bits, they feel earned.
Sayess’s Aaron and Khan’s Miriam are much looser and more freewheeling, and their comedy comes from an easier place. They’re set up for laughs, and both actors make their payoffs seem effortless.
When watching comedy, there are times when it seems like the actors are really working for the laugh, and that tends to take away from the punchline. Those times feel labored and forced. Majed and Khan never have those moments. Both are skilled comedic performers who know where the laugh is and let the scene take its course naturally, and the result is consistently excellent and often laugh out loud hilarious.
There is a real future for Indie TV, as the streamers continue to watch how they spend their money and creators take matters into their own hands. The way to foster that future is to support indie shows where you can find them. It helps that this one is actually pretty good, and the talent involved is great. In other words, there is no spoonful of sugar needed to take this medicine. It goes down easy.
The Careers of Wasim No’mani, Majed Sayess and Shereen Khan
All three performers have appeared on The Chosen, though only No’mani did so before Hudson filmed the pilot for The Promised Land. Chosen creator Dallas Jenkins watched it and decided to cast Majed, Khan, and several others on his flagship series.
Hudson made the decision early that he wanted to cast actors of middle eastern descent in all the roles, and No’mani was the first one on board. His casting in the role of Yanni, whom he has played for 14 episodes so far, was the biggest role of his career before landing Moses. No’Mani spent a decade working in shorts and getting small TV roles before he landed Yanni, and that led indirectly to his casting here.
Sayess has had a similar path, showing up in numerous movies and TV shows over the first decade and a half of his career, almost always as some kind of middle eastern cliche. An Afghan translator in a couple episodes of Barry, a random Saudi in an episode of CSI: Cyber, and so on. Aaron is his largest role by far, but judging by how he’s acquitted himself in it, that won’t be true for long.
Khan’s career has been very different from her two co-stars, in that she has been a professional for the longest — she appeared in a single episode of the short-lived sitcom version of Clueless in 1997 — while also having worked for the shortest amount of time.
After that debut, she next showed up in the 2010-11 Pakistan-Urdu language drama serial Chemistry, in which she appeared in all 72 episodes. More recently, she showed up in an episode of S.W.A.T., and this year did an episode of the Emmy-winning The Studio. Just as with her co-stars, it’s only a matter of time before she gets more substantial roles that last longer than an episode or two.
Final Takeaways
Navigating the industry can feel like wandering a desert without a map. The journeys of Wasim No’mani, Majed Sayess and Shereen Khan show that persistence, versatility, and authentic casting choices can open unexpected doors. Here are a few takeaways from their paths that new actors can put into practice right now:
- Be patient and persistent. Many roles come after years of smaller parts and steady work.
- Embrace typecasting early, but don’t let it define you.
- Seek projects that value authentic representation.
- Let your natural instincts guide your performance.
- Build relationships with creators and peers.
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