6 of The Best Arabic Drama Series From Summer 2021 To Binge-Watch This Week
All of these shows boast strong leading ladies and intriguing plot lines…
The spotlight has been firmly fixed on Arab drama series this past year, with women taking the entertainment industry by storm as they star in some of the hottest programmes both on television and across a variety of streaming platforms. From Ramadan series to Netflix shows, it’s never been easier for both native speakers and those interested in Arabic pop culture to tune in on the action, no matter where they’re located around the world.
Here Bazaar shares six shows, featuring strong female lead characters, we simply can’t stop binge-watching…
Newton’s Cradle (لعبة نيوتن)
Egyptian actress Mona Zaki stars in the role of Hana, a character who plans to give birth to her first son in the United States of America, to ensure a better future for him. Naturally, it doesn’t go as planned and she finds herself in difficult circumstances, facing situations and obstacles that threaten her relationship with her husband, Hazem, throughout the series. During her last interview on talk show Saheb Al Saada, Mona Zaki confirmed that she had difficulty filming some of the scenes.
Watch it on the OSN app and the Shahid platform
Kidnap (إختطاف)
A Saudi series starring actress Elham Ali, this show tells the tale of Lina, a girl who was kidnapped from her family and spent twenty years at the mercy of her abductor. Throughout the series, Elham played not one, but three characters – a challenge in itself. “Kidnap series… I challenged myself in it,” noted the actress on Twitter. “I did not present one character… I presented three characters with different dimensions and shapes.”
Watch it on the Shahid platform
AlRawabi School for Girls (مدرسة الروابي للبنات)
This series is produced by Netflix and has been trending throughout the past few weeks since airing on the streaming platform in mid-August. Directed and co-written by Tima Shomali, Shirin Kamal and Islam Shomali Al Rawabi School for Girls series revolves around a girl who tries to take revenge on her classmates after getting bullied, only to discover that everyone has two different sides to their character.
Watch it now on netflix.com.
Salon Zahra (صالون زهرة)
This romantic-comedy series boasts plenty of drama, along with twist and turns based on real-life events, as the plot follows a group of contemporary Lebanese women. Produced by Sabbah Brothers for Art Production and starring Nadine Nassib Njeim, the series is directed by Joe Bou Eid.
Watch it on the Shahid platform
Malak Rahma (ملاك رحمة)
Starring Kuwaiti actress Shejoun Al Hajri this show is perfect for all the Ratched fans out there, looking for their next fix of horror-meets-period drama. Set in the 1980’s, the series follows a troubled nurse who suffers from trauma, which eventual leads to some very sinister behaviour… Written by Ahmad Al-Awadi and directed by Mohammed Samir, the cast also includes the likes of Maram Al-Balushi, Abdullah Alturkmany, and Abdallah Abdulrdhaa.
Watch it on the Shahid platform
Awake (وعيت)
This dramatic series follows main character, Dana, who suffered an accident and wakes up in the future, having missed out on months of her life. With the help of her sister, Lama, she slowly starts to acclimatize to the present day, but is forced to deal with a few heart breaking matters.
Watch it on the Mhz Choice platform
This article was originally published on Harper’s Bazaar Al Arabiya website. It was translated by Shahad Almutiri.
Lead image courtesy Instagram/@nadine.nassib.njeim, @netflixmena