Abu Dhabi TV is the latest major Arabic broadcaster to announce its line-up for Ramadan. The diverse programming, to be shown on the terrestrial channel as well as the streaming platform and app ADTV, aims to cater to various tastes.
High profile Gulf and Egyptian dramas are among this year’s offerings, featuring stars such as Kuwait’s Hanadi Alkanderi and Egyptian veterans Fifi Abdou and Ahmad Bayoumi.
What time do they run?
We don’t know just yet. In what can only be regarded as a quirk of the regional television industry, most channels keep their broadcast time a secret, and only reveal them hours before Ramadan begins.
This is to ensure rivals don’t make any last-minute scheduling adjustments. So the best advice is to log on to Abu Dhabi TV's website to get programme times closer to the beginning of the holy month.
From pensive dramas looking at the scourge of human trafficking to breezy romantic comedies, in addition to the return of a hit Kuwaiti series and spiritual programming, here are 10 shows to check out on Abu Dhabi TV this Ramadan:
From the Gulf
1. 'Mohamad Ali Road'
Named after a main thoroughfare in Kuwait City, the ensemble drama is inspired by the famous saying of the late Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez: “All human beings have three lives: public, private and secret.”
The second season features a new plot that centres on Yassin, a mysterious seaman who arrives in Kuwait on an abandoned ship. Thought to have drowned , Yassin worries his family with his insistent belief about possessing supernatural powers.
2. ‘Aa'ilat Abdulhamid Hafez’
Obsessed by the late Egyptian crooner Abdel Halim Hafez, aspiring singer Abdulhamid Al Sarhan decides to live his dream and launch a music career in his sixties, to strong objections from family and friends.
3. ‘Al Zaqoum’
Kuwaiti’s Saad Al-Faraj and Bahrain’s Qahtan Al Qahtani are ageing friends who swindled a rich man of his inheritance seven decades ago. As they reach the twilight of their lives, the repercussions of the crime become apparent.
4. ‘Kaid Al Harim’
This is a romantic comedy following the travails of Sumaya, played by Kuwaiti actress alkanderi, a divorced woman with children whose second husband dies on the night of their wedding.
Flush with cash from his inheritance, she must battle the devious plots of her in-laws, as well as raise her mischievous stepchildren.
From Egypt and Syria
5. ‘Pablo’
Star Hassan El Raddad plays the title role — a tenacious social justice warrior who gets more than he bargained for when tackling a human trafficking ring in Cairo. El Raddad is joined by fellow Egyptian actors Ahmed Zaher and Nabil Al Hilfawi in what promises to be a hard-hitting drama.
6. ‘Shughl Aali’
Popular Egyptian comic actors Abdou, Shereen Reda and Bayoumi team up in a story of two friends from different backgrounds brought together, after being respectively dumped by their partners. Eager to settle scores, they set up a company consulting women on how to deal with manipulative men.
7. ‘Kasr Adem’
Boasting a stellar cast including Rashid Assaf and Karess Bashar, the topical drama deals with the corruption infesting aspects of Syrian society. From suspect businessmen to shady government officials, Kasr Adem aims to show the far-reaching effects of such insidious practices.
Heart and soul
8. ‘Hadith Al Imam Al Tayyeb’
Dr Ahmad El Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, hosts this daily spiritual show in which he details the various lessons and insights Muslims can learn during Ramadan and beyond.
9. ‘Al Dunya B’Khair – Awnak’
Presented by Ahmed Al Yammahi, this heartwarming series takes us inside the workings of the UAE Red Crescent and sheds light on their work across the Arab world. Shot in various locations across the region, the series also features profound interviews with those struggling at the margins, in order to raise awareness of their community’s plight.
10. ‘Tabkhetna Ghair’
Find new and innovative spins on Arabic food staples in this fast-moving cooking show. Bahraini and Saudi chefs Naseem Rasrummani and Abdulaziz Alhumedan team up to showcase their new versions and old classics to showcase the dynamism of Arabic cuisine.
From drama to comedy: programmes to see on MBC during Ramadan 2022:
