Why simplicity is behind pioneering Saudi comedy Tash Ma Tash's enduring appeal

When Saudi actors Nasser Al Qasabi and Abdullah Al Sadhan decided to relaunch their celebrated comedy series Tash Ma Tash after 12 years, they didn’t know where to begin.

For a satirical series defined by forward-thinking social commentary on everyday Saudi life, the kingdom’s rapid transformation over the decade meant they couldn’t pick up where they left off.

"Indeed, it is a different time now from the past,” Al Qasabi says.

“The critical content within the comedy that we often used in the episodes — for example, the performances of local government agencies providing services to citizens — have changed because these bodies have transformed for the better during the last decade.”

This explains the genteel nature of the new series, dubbed Tash Al Awda (Tash: The Return).

Screening nightly on MBC throughout the holy month, the new episodes are more character-based than issues driven, placing it more in the mould of a traditional sitcom.

“We have focused on the simple characters that people love and on light comedy,” Al Qasabi says.

However, the show hasn’t totally lost its satirical bite. One of the season's finest episodes was the opener, titled Lightning.

Al Qasabi and Al Sadhan play old friends who, after being stuck overnight in their car due to a storm, wake up a decade later to a transformed Riyadh.

The episode is full of hilarious moments, such as the pair driving into the city and being shocked to find women behind the wheel and the widespread use of mobile phones and electronic banking.

The show also acknowledges the evolution of government services. In one scene Al Qasabi and Al Sadhan attempt to bribe a local official for a piece of real estate — rationalising it by saying it was common practice in the past.

Both are swiftly imprisoned and the episode ends with them amazed at Saudi Arabia’s transformation.

Each episode has its own stories and characters, but the consistent strand throughout all 30 episodes is Al Qasabi and Al Sadhan.

Both play to their strengths, often portraying opposing characters.

Al Qasabi is typically the neurotic one, while Al Sadhan plays the forlorn straight-laced guy with a quick temperature.

The fact they pull it off effortlessly shows their chemistry survived the bitterness of the past.

It took the duo a decade to bury the hatchet after the show ended acrimoniously in 2011, due to a contractual disagreement between them that reached the Riyadh Commercial Court the following year.

The reprieve came after the reconciliation efforts of Turki Al-Sheikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, who announced the show's future return in a 2021 tweet.

Al Sadhan, who has worked with Al Qasabi since the show's debut in 1993, explains the partnership works because the humour is measured and purposeful.

“It is difficult and easy work at the same time,” he says.

“What is written in the script can appear complex, but we presented it as it should, which is an easy way. That is the key to the success of all the seasons."

Saudi filmmaker Mohamed Al Qaffas, who directed all the season’s episodes, describes Tash Al Awda as a challenging shoot.

“A comedy series is more difficult than its dramatic counterpart. In drama, some of the script’s pitfalls can be replaced by dramatic exaggeration, camera movement and actors’ performance,” he says.

“But in a comedy like Tash Al Awda, the secret lies in the simplicity and spontaneity, which the audience accepts and interacts with.

“When I work on the show I ask myself a daily question: am I exaggerating as a director, or am I using the easy, abstaining method? I am convinced the simple directorial method will ensure the continued success of the series.”

Tash Al Awda can be streamed online at shahid.mbc.net