Every year during Ramadan we are treated to or tortured by the endless series, game, talk and cooking shows. For the last couple of decades, Ramadan as a TV season has been a huge thing, mostly because it is a mad cash grab. Because of the change in everyone’s schedules, it becomes easier to be sure that there will be more eyeballs glued to the TV for those ads. Production budgets are larger and super stars are hired to spearhead each show. The number of series being aired is much greater than any other month and the ideas are grander. But does it still make sense?
Many of us have ditched TV as the main source of media and consume the majority of our content online. In the not so distant past, it was common to find families huddled in the living room watching the same show every night. And during Ramadan, this was almost always a given. But today, it is more common to find family members watching different things at different times on whatever screen is closest to them. It might be one of the reasons why many people prefer to tune in together during Ramadan since it preserves some semblance of unity and community.
The numbers tell us that change is happening even if it is quite slow, but TV is still king. As a digitally native viewer, I welcome the shift. The networks have recognized that people’s lives have changed and that we want something different. It has become much easier (and legit) to stream all of the available series. Some players have also started dropping an entire series, all 30 episodes, in one go at the beginning of Ramadan for their paying customers.
Not only do I get to watch the shows I like, how I want, and whenever I want, I also get to skip the ads. Once the commercials are gone, watching a show takes 30 minutes instead of an hour and is much more enjoyable.
What I am hoping for in the future is a shift in the design of these shows. Currently, scripts are written so they can be broken down into 10 minute segments with mini cliffhangers. That’s why you get the weird pauses, people staring sadly into the distance or two people having a conversation with their backs to each other but facing you, the dear viewer.
I am also tired of pacing that always feels off. Directors are forced to make their content fit into a prescribed time-slot, 30 episodes of 30-45 minutes. If creators are not bound to these rules, I am sure stories will finally be told in the time they need, be that 20 hours or 100.
Streaming also allows the addition of subtitles to all shows more easily. Having closed captions just makes it more accessible to people of different abilities and opens up our regional content to the world, which should propel it forward in terms of quantity and quality. There is a lot of untapped creativity in the Arab region and it really is worth releasing it into the world.
Just in case you are still looking for something interesting to watch here’s a bunch of things that look interesting enough for you to invest some time in.
The End
I am sure we have seen Arab Sci-Fi before but this is the first show that has dialed it up to 100 and tried really hard. Despite some plot holes, and a needless and weak romantic storyline, I applaud them for attempting something so ambitious.
Um Haroon
Audiences are already divided on this series that follows an elderly Jewish midwife in a fictional village in the Arabian Gulf. The show is touchy for many viewers and has left them feeling uncomfortable on many levels.We’re going to watch and see what happens in the drama and over it.
With 100 Faces
Nelly Karim might be trying to apologize for a bunch of consecutive depressing series that were as difficult for her to act in, they were difficult for us to watch by offering us a lighter, hustle-inspired comedy. We might just be watching because Asser Yassin is cute.
Exit 7
Saudi family comedy about social change. Again, nothing life-changing, but it is always interesting to watch the media process and deal with changes in society.
The Game
Slapstick formulaic comedy works even though it is not breaking any new ground. Two friends are pitted against each other by a mystery games master into some major pranks.
Jannat Halli
We really love roller coasters, and because we can’t get to one at the moment, we’re getting on the emotional rollercoaster that is called TV.
The Choice
It is very rare to see a show made about a real person, especially considering that Ahmad ElMansy’s story is recent and still fresh in everyone’s memory. The commander of the 103rd battalion was martyred in a 2017 terrorist attack in Sinai while on duty. Could this be the beginning of the gold age of biographical/memoir style shows in the region?
