Abed Nadir

Grew up… feeling depressed and guilty, fearing that he was responsible for breaking up his parent’s marriage due to his undiagnosed neurological disorder. His mother ran out on him and his father when Abed was 6 years old. Believing that his father resented him, Abed immersed himself in a consuming passion for pop culture as a form of escape.

Living...  at home with his father in Greendale, Colo., where he attends school at Greendale Community College. Abed’s father is unable to understand his true passion for TV and film, which creates a communication barrier between the two and makes it a hard place for Abed to live.

Profession... college student. He is trying to fulfill his father’s wishes by studying business management at GCC, with the hope of helping him run his falafel business. But maybe it would be better for everyone if he pursues his dream to work in entertainment.  He gets some encouragement to do that from his study group for Spanish class, the members of which have become his closest friends. Well, his only friends.

Interests... all things pop culture. With his vast knowledge of TV and film, Abed is an encyclopedia of pop references. Describing a friend’s boring demeanor, he once said, "You're VH1, 'RoboCop 2' and 'Back to the Future 3.' You're the center slice of a square cheese pizza. Actually, that sounds delicious. I'm the center slice of a square cheese pizza… You're Jim Belushi."

Relationship Status... single. He might not be fully capable of loving a romantic partner right now. Abed’s strongest connection is his “bromance” with Troy Barnes, his best friend from the study group. They seem quite different at first glance – Troy is African-American and a star athlete – but Troy has a nerd side that Abed helps bring out.

Challenge... relating to other people. He often seems self-interested, but that’s more a result of being introverted and poor at reading social cues. He has great difficulty expressing himself emotionally, except through the movies he makes that show his remarkable sensitivity.

Personality... weird and proud of it. Confident he is living in a sitcom, Abed claims to “filter everything through TV.” He can come off as emotionless and detached, yet possesses an underlying innocence and naivety. And despite his frequently quirky behavior Abed is often revealed as the study group’s “most sane” member.