Arab television drama

Ramadan and Egyptian TV dramas In Egypt, musalsalat are designed to air for the first time during Ramadan, and to last for the entire month. As a result, television stations wind up rerunning musalsalat throughout the year, as barely any other musalsalat are produced. This mixture of conservative thinking with contemporary business approaches proves controversial to critics. On the one hand, the content of programs does not align with the religious tone of Ramadan. Critics argues that the commercialization of Ramadan turned the holy month into "a month of self-denial" – where audiences are not spiritually in touch with God – rather than a month of self-awareness and deep reflection. History of Egyptian TV programming Television programming has continuously shaped the Egyptian national identity and the role of audiences. They tackle prevalent social and political issues – such as corruption and oppression –, in a way that allows individuals and families to relate to the events or characters of the musalsal. They allow for the construction of a multifaceted understanding of the current social reality. It is also the first Arabic series released on the online streaming service. Produced by Egypt's CBC, the TV series is an Egyptian equivalent of the Spanish drama television series "Gran Hotel" and was aired during Ramadan 2016. ==Kuwait==

Kuwait's television drama industry tops other Gulf drama industries and produces a minimum of fifteen serials annually. Kuwait is the production center of the Gulf television drama and comedy scene. Kuwaiti soap operas are the most-watched soap operas in the Gulf region. Soap operas are most popular during the time of Ramadan, when families gather to break their fast. Although usually performed in the Kuwaiti dialect, they have been shown with success as far away as Tunisia. ==Lebanon==

Lebanese drama series lag significantly behind the more popular Syrian or Egyptian productions, a lack of popularity thought to be caused primarily by weak scripts. Lebanese television tends to focus on reality television, shows with interviewing/talks shows, comedy, and so on rather than soap operas. Lebanese series also face challenges because of low budgets and an absence of government support. Because of the war in Syria, some Syrian production companies have relocated their projects to Lebanon. ==Syria==

'' Syrian soap operas took off in the 1990s, when satellite-television access increased across the Arab world, and were watched by tens of millions of people from Morocco to the Persian Gulf. As a consequence of the Syrian Civil War, Syrian production companies have shelved new shows and viewers throughout the Arab world have called for a boycott of Syrian satellite channels. In 2010, some 30 Syrian soaps were aired during Ramadan, some only in Syria, but most on pan-Arab satellite channels. and Rasheed Assaf in the drama series The Last Cavalier Syrian series have become one of the country's most prized exports, and are very popular in the Persian Gulf countries. By 2014 only 20 Syrian series were being made, compared to the 40 produced in 2010. ==Jordan==

Jordan produces a number of "Bedouin Soap Operas" that are filmed outdoors with authentic props. The actors use Bedouin-accented Arabic to make the story feel more authentic. These musalsalat have become popular in Saudi Arabia and Iraq. In musalsalat that center around traditional village life during the time period just before World War II. Oftentimes, these dramas are permeated by themes of tension between the traditional and modern ways of life with specific emphasis on the patriarchal systems and the role of women within them. Unique to this particular type of musalsal is the willingness of the shows' creators to confront sensitive issues such as honor killing. Another musalsal genre is that of the historical drama. Topics of these shows range from pre-Islamic poets to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Many of these are joint productions by Jordanian, Syrian, and Persian Gulf region television producers. According to a survey of Jordan's television viewers, 92.5% prefer watching Syrian dramas while 61.6% prefer Egyptian ones. This is compared to 26.6% who prefer watching Jordanian drama series. While the aforementioned musalsalat target a broader, Arabic-speaking audience, certain programs target Jordanians specifically. These shows tend to deal with social and political issues particular to present-day Amman. Acting in these programs, as well as Jordanian musalsalat in general, is often lauded as being superior to that of many Egyptian-produced soap operas. ==See also==