The holy month of Ramadan is around the corner, and the countdown for the most important and crowded TV season has begun, with dozens of TV series coming to big satellite channels in the Arab and Middle East region. This year’s Ramadan season will witness fierce competition between young and senior stars. The Arab audience has been accustomed to certain stars every year, but this year things will be quite different as some of those stars passed away, such as great actors Nour El-Sherif and Mahmoud Abdel Aziz. Other stars are absent for different reasons.
We will see another competition between channels as they race to win the exclusive broadcast contract of major TV series, whose total production costs could exceed EGP 3bn, with the actors’ wages having the lion’s share.
15-episode series
We will have several 15-episode series this year, including “A Legitimate Relationship” (Elakat Mashroo’a) starring Yasser Galal, Mai Omar, Dalia Mostafa, and Murad Makram. It was written by Samah Hariri and directed by Khaled Marei. Yasser Galal and Mai Omar starred together in a previous series called “Al-Fetwa”.
Mega actress Mona Zaki will star in a series entitled “Under the Guardianship” (Tahet El Wesaya). It was written by the brothers Mohamed Diab and Sherine Diab, and directed by Mohamed Shaker Khudair. The work discusses the guardianship law after the death of the father or husband. Mona Zaki is set to play the role of a struggling woman who works in difficult professions and is exposed to many problems.
Comedian and actor Ahmed Amin will star in another 15-episode series called “The Warning Siren” (Al-Safirah). The work was directed by Alaa Ismail, and co-stars Taha Desouki, Aya Samaha, Hatem Salah, and others.
Brilliant actress Donia Samir Ghanem returns to the Ramadan season after a 3-year absence with a new comedy series of 15 episodes, whose name has not been announced yet. The series is produced by Ahmed El Sobky and directed by Islam Khairy, and co-stars Mohamed Salam, Bayoumi Fouad, Sayed Ragab, Salwa Khattab, and others.
Veteran actor Hussein Fahmy will star in “The Return of the Baron” (Odette Elle Baron) series, which consists of 15 episodes. The series co-stars Khaled Selim, Nihal Anbar, Alaa Morsi, Sami Maghawry, Muhammad Mahran, and Diaa Al-Mirghani. It was written and directed by Jordanian producer Samer Khader.
Brilliant actor Tarek Lotfy will star in the “Diary of a Husband” (Mozakerat Zoj) series, which consists of 15 episodes too. It is based on a novel by Ahmed Bahjat. The screenplay was written by Mohamed Suleiman Abdel-Malik, directed by Maryam Ahmadi, and produced by Aroma and Tamer Mortada. It co-stars Aisha bin Ahmed and Khaled El-Sawy.
Veteran actor Khaled El Nabawy began filming his new series “Imam El Shafei”. The series stars a large number of actors of different nationalities, including Nidal Al-Shafei, Khaled Anwar, Mohamed Al-Sharnoubi, Arwa Gouda, Hamza Al-Aili, Ahmed Al-Rafei, Farah Bseiso, and Khaled Al-Qish. Some scenes of the series will be filmed in Fayoum city. It was written by Mohamed Hisham Obeya and directed by Al-Laith Hajjo.
Brilliant actress Menna Shalaby stars in the “Physical Therapy” series. It was written by Mohamed Hisham Obayya, who also wrote her previous series, “With the Spirit Stepping Down”. The series is directed by Maryam Abu Ouf.
Egyptian actress Yasmine Sabry returns to the TV drama after an absence of 4 years, with a new series of 15 episodes, also written by Mohamed Ragaa and directed by Khaled Marei. The name of the series has not been decided yet, and the last series she presented was “Second Chance”, in which she collaborated with director Morcos Adel.
30-episode series
“Al-Kabir Awy – part 7” comes at the top of the list of 30-episode series to be expected in Ramadan. The comedy series stars Ahmed Makki, along with Rahma Ahmed, Mohamed Salam, Bayoumi Fouad, Hisham Ismail, Mustafa Gharib, Hatem Salah, Abdel Rahman Zaza, Sama Ibrahim, Laila Ezz Al Arab, and Hussein Abu Hajjaj. The series was written by Mostafa Saqr and Mohamed Ezz El-Din, and directed by Ahmed El-Gendy.
Mega Star Yousra will present a social comedy series called “Hamdilla Ala El Salama” (Hamidela Ela El Salama). The work was written by Mohamed Zulfiqar and directed by Amr Salah, and co-stars Shaima Seif, Mohamed Tharwat, Mayan El Sayed, Adam El Sharkawy, and Mahmoud Hegazy.
Ramadan’s usual star Mostafa Shaaban is filming his upcoming series, “Baba Al-Majal” (The Professional). Brilliant actress Nisreen Amin participates in the series, along with veteran actress Sawsan Badr, Basem Samra, Jumana Murad, Riyadh Al-Khouly, Muhammad Najati, Mahmoud Hafez, Farah Youssef, and Sama Ibrahim. It was directed by Ahmed Khaled Moussa.
Egyptian actor Ahmed Al-Awadi is currently filming his new series, “Darb Nar” (Shooting), in one of the governorates of Upper Egypt, with the participation of his wife, the star, Yasmine Abdel Aziz, and directed by Mostafa Fekry. And they are the same trio as last year, when they presented the series “The Khedive”.
Director Sameh Abdel Aziz is about to finish filming the second part of the series “Ramadan Kareem”, starring Sayed Ragab, Salwa Othman, Naglaa Badr, Mohamed Lotfy and a large number of young people.
Director Khaled Youssef also finished filming a large part of the series “Sir Al-Sultan” (Secret of Sultan), starring Hussein Fahmy, Ahmed Fahmy, Ahmed El-Saadani, Hanan Mutawa, Ahmed Wafik, and a large number of Egyptian and Arab stars, with a crew of nearly 60 artists.
Egyptian singer and actress Ruby will star in the “Hazrat Al-Omda” (The Mayor) series, along with a group of stars, including Ahmed Rizk, Samiha Ayoub, Basma, Muhammad Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, Mahmoud Abdel-Moghni, Wafaa Amer, Edward, Mahmoud Hafez, Ehab Fahmy, Ahmed Badir, And Karim Abdel-Khalek, Mohamed El-Sawy, Nahla Salama, and Hossam Dagher.
Egyptian actress Reham Hajjaj will star in the “Jamila” series, in which she discusses many women’s issues and the relationship between children and their parents. It co-stars Ahmed Wafik and Abeer Sabry. It was directed by Sameh Abdel Aziz.
Cinema star Amir Karara filmed nearly half of the scenes of his new series, “Souk El Kanto” (The Second Hand), with the star Mai Ezz El Din and a number of stars. The series is directed by Hussein Al-Manbawi, and co-starring Muhammad Abdel-Azim, Fathi Abdel-Wahhab, Tharaa Jbeil, Abdulaziz Makhyoun, Kamal Aburia, Diaa Abdel-Khalek, and Maha Nassar.
Ramadan’s usual main star Nelly Karim finished filming her new series “Rare Currency” (Umla Nadira). The work stars Ahmed Eid, Gamal Suleiman, Jumana Murad and a large number of stars, and it is directed by Mando El Adl. The events of the series take place in Upper Egypt.
Finally, mega star Mohamed Ramadan is about to finish filming his series “Al-Omda” (The Mayor) completely, to be the first work ready to run in the race. The series was written and directed by Mohamed Sami. The script and dialogue were co-written by Mohab Tarek and produced by Media Hub Saadi-Gohar. The series stars Zina, Hala Sidqi, Iman Al-Assi, Mai Kassab, Menna Fadali, Ahmed Dash, Bayoumi Fouad, Farida Seif El-Nasr, Essam El-Sakka, Juri Bakr, Ahmed Fathi, Tariq Al-Nahri, Magdy Badr, Tariq Al-Desouki, and a number of other artists. The events take place in a popular social framework.
