The city council in West Hollywood, California, even petitioned the Bravo cable station to stop “perpetuating negative stereotypes about Iranian-Americans.”
The criticism is reminiscent of the objections to MTV’s extremely popular “Jersey Shore,” which depicted Italian-Americans as a raunchy bunch. Many Italian-Americans were deeply offended—though many also said raunchy was darn sight better than being depicted as Mafioso thugs.
The underlying conflict on episodes of “Shahs of Sunset” centers on pressures from family members to get married and follow a more traditional life on a group of singles who love to party and buy expensive clothing. Being depicted as vulgarly acquisitive offends many Iranian-Americans—though many also say vulgarly acquisitive is a darn sight better than being depicted as terrorist killers.
“We wanted to present an exciting group of friends who live interesting and dynamic lives as well as give an inside look at their culture and rituals,” said the Bravo Network about “Shahs of Sunset,” which means the kings of Sunset Boulevard.
The six friends include Muslims, Jews and a gay man and is set on the west side of LA in an area referred to as “Tehrangeles,” where about 20 percent of the residents are of Iranian descent, encompassing parts of nearby Westwood, called “Little Persia.”
Sammy, Reza, Mike and MJ work in the real estate market with the palatial mansions of Beverly Hills, while Asa is a “modern gypsy bohemian” singer/artist and GG is a “Persian princess,” living at home, shopping and dating.
Agence France Presse said the “Shahs” might turn into the Persian version of the Kardashians, replacing the Armenian family’s series as the go-to show. It appears the interest in the show is primarily in the lavish lifestyles and flashy personalities; tapping into excesses is the staple of most reality shows.
By comparison, the image projected last year on the program “All-American Muslim” was about the conflicts and customs of five middle-class Arab-American families in Dearborn, Michigan, a community with the highest concentration of Muslims in the US.
That 2011 reality show followed a football coach, sheriff, automotive worker and judicial executive, with beliefs ranging from conservative to liberal. Episodes dealt with the struggles of assimilation, adjustments to life in and outside the community, and prejudice encountered since 9/11.
Critically acclaimed, the show debuted with one million viewers but was short-lived, ending after the first season when an advertiser dropped out under pressure from a campaign by Christian bloggers, who complained that the program depicted Muslims as much like anyone’s next door neighbors. According to the TLC cable/satellite network, the decline in ratings was the reason for the cancelation.
More like a documentary series, “All-American Muslim” sparked controversy about Arab-Americans living normal lives in the US, whereas “Shahs of Sunset” depicts the lives of the rich and not-so-famous, which is much more typical of reality shows.
