‘Here Come The Habibs!’ Creators & Cast Get Defensive Ahead Of Its Debut

It has been a long bloody time since the Nine Network commissioned an original, sitcom-style comedy series – like, 10+ years long – then came news its first toe-dip back into competitive waters would be Here Come The Habibs!, i.e. THIS:
Cue the outrage machine cranking up to hell-scorching levels.
Daily Life called it a “classist show pok[ing] fun at those in lower socio-economic circumstances”, with writer Candy Royalle so pissed off by the promo that she started a petition on Change.org calling for it to be axed:

“As a first generation Australian, born to Lebanese parents, I have experienced the ugliness of racism – racist jokes, stereotypes, assumptions. Shows like these perpetuate misinformation and seperate me and other like me from other Australians. Channel 9, pull this show. Do not contribute to racism in Australia. Do not alienate non-white Australians by using cheap racists jokes.”
Essentially, people either reckon the show – which centres on a Lebanese-Australian family from Western Sydney who win $22 million on Lotto and subsequently haul-arse to the exclusive suburb of Vaucluse, much to the disgust of their WASP neighbourinos – is lazy tripe setting race relations back decades or a barrier-breaker showcasing a (albeit stereotypical, farcical) Lebanese family on Aussie commercial TV for the first time.
 
Yet, despite all the brouhaha, the show *will* air tonight at 8:30pm – and HCTH’s creators and cast would 10/10 make it again / are heaps proud of its portrayal of Lebanese-Aussies (and creation of 150+ jobs). 
P.TV chatted with the group over falafel, tabouleh and belly dancers, and everyone was eager to defend its merits against skepetics.
Co-Head of Drama for the network, Andy Ryan, batted off criticism, saying “people come to a comedy with lots of preconceived ideas of what it is” but that he was confident ‘Strayan viewers would come to love the “good cast and good team” once we watch a full ep – so tonight.
Co-creator Rob Shehadie (of Fat Pizza) was less impartial, slamming people like Candy Royalle as “keyboard warriors”.

“They’re going off a promo where half of it wasn’t even in the show, it’s judging a book by its cover,” he said. “If this show was on SBS or ABC I don’t think we would have the same backlash but it’s ’cause it’s commercial [TV].”

He added: “I can tell you right now that I would never be involved in a show that makes a joke of the Lebanese race in any way.”
We also spoke to Tyler De Nawi, the Lebanese-Australian actor who plays Elias, or “the most real one,” – a uni student who “represents your modern day Australian who’s trying to be independent”.

The cast of HCTHs

“It’s a light show,” he told us. “Families can come together on a Tuesday night and enjoy some laughs, enjoy some good content.”

When asked what he thinks of people calling the show racist, he says: “The point of it all, the fact that Channel Nine has taken the risk, means maybe we are moving forward. Let’s put some laughs back in.”

Y/N? You decide.

Catch Here Come The Habibs! on Nine at 8:30pm tonight.
Photo: Supplied.

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