Riz Ahmed's Bait is a rousing, genre-bending comedy

At first glance, Bait can be mistaken as a vehicle for creator-star Riz Ahmed to audition for James Bond. To be clear, he does do that pretty well here. The series bookends itself with Shah Latif (Ahmed), a highly strung and broke British actor, testing out to be the next 007. The premiere opens with a suit-wearing Shah messing up his lines, and the finale ends with him in the same room for a second shot at the coveted role. In the four days between, Shah experiences the pitfalls of fame after a rumor rapidly spreads that he’s in the running to replace Daniel Craig. Through his desperate, dizzying lens, Bait cleverly peers into shifting perspectives on identity, family, success, and what Shah hopes to gain by becoming the face of a legendary  franchise.

Distinguishing itself from recent shows like The Studio, The Franchise, and The Comeback, Prime Video’s comedy isn’t concerned with the behind-the-scenes machinations of the movie industry. Bait‘s ambitions are refreshingly personal and specific. It offers an incisive, wry analysis of the treatment of Brown actors, the value of being seen on the screen, and, crucially, the burden of carrying that torch of representation. Its true accomplishment lies in telling a vulnerable, timely story with eccentric style and humor, all in six tight half-hour episodes. Bait‘s counterpart is another terrific British comedy, Nida Manzoor’s We Are Lady Parts, which also deals with its protagonists’ artistic and cultural challenges. For his tale, Ahmed assembles a talented crew of South Asian writers like Azam Mahmood (Ramy) and Dipika Guha (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), directors Bassam Tariq (his Mogul Mowgli collaborator) and Tom George (The Franchise), and a captivating ensemble to flesh out this world.

Shah’s circumstances may be heightened—the man often talks to a decapitated pig’s head voiced by none other than Patrick Stewart—but his emotions are rooted in a sad reality. Take the distressing monologue Shah gives himself in the mirror after bombing that initial Bond audition, in which he lectures himself on being a failure: “You’re just a dumb fucking Paki,” he says with gritted teeth and teary eyes. Shah has internalized a lot of shame, having grown up as a Muslim immigrant in London, where he was bullied. It’s part of what drives his desire. If he secures the Bond gig, Shah will undoubtedly make his loved ones proud. But he’ll also prove to the white kids who beat him up in school that he’s got what it takes. (His memories frequently go back to childhood days when he realized that he was likely going to be discriminated against because of his skin color.)