(CNN) The quest for identity as a Muslim living in New Jersey only scratches the surface of "Ramy," a Hulu series that deftly combines comedy with drama, and which gradually peels back layers in ways as impressive as they are relatable. Far from a "Muslims are just like us" sitcom, comic Ramy Youssef's deeply personal show explores familiar themes in a fresh and at times poignant manner.

At first blush, "Ramy" resembles the latest addition to a hard-to-categorize brand of half-hour premium series like Aziz Ansari's "Master of None" or Donald Glover's "Atlanta," which explore the vagaries of young adulthood through a unique prism. There are also elements of "The Big Sick," the 2017 movie starring Kumail Nanjiani, in the issues that surround growing up Muslim in the US, caught between the prevailing culture and immigrant parents rooted in tradition.

Unlike that movie, however, Ramy -- a first-generation Egyptian-American -- is religious, if occasionally torn by the temptations and pressures associated with life in the US.

"I'm not going to flirt with girls at the mosque," he tells his parents, who are desperate to see him marry a nice Muslim girl. Later, a woman he's dating expresses surprise when he suggests, almost sheepishly, that he adheres to his faith.

"You're Muslim I thought in the way I'm Jewish," she says.

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