The current month of Ramadan witnessed the presentation of a group of Syrian series, which varied in artistic value, but some of them formed a glimmer of hope that might return the Syrian drama to the arena of Arab competition after years of decline.
It is difficult to evaluate these works in terms of viewership, whether because they are shown on different platforms, some of which require subscription, or because of the long power cuts inside Syria, which made it almost impossible for Syrians to follow their events, but the opinions and comments published on social media platforms, Like Facebook and Twitter, it can be an indicator that measures followers' reactions.
3 works that give preference to realistic drama
The series "Suspension of Execution" gained high viewing rates, whether among Syrians, or even in the Arab Gulf countries, after it was shown on MBC and the "Shahid" platform.
The work directed by Seif al-Din Subai’i, and written by Ali Wajeeh and Yamen al-Hajali, tells the story of a society exhausted by crises, and includes the stories of Syrian families who suffered displacement during the war and lost some of their members, but they still cling to hope to overcome their suffering and seek to start over.
Followers praised the topics that were presented and the distinguished performance of the actors, as a large group of artists participate in it, most notably Sabah Al-Jazaery, Abbas Al-Nouri, Fadi Sobeih, Solaf Fawakherji, Ghassan Massoud and others.
The series "Kasr A'em" also achieved high viewership rates, taking advantage of the "Claket" production company that presented it on the YouTube platform available to everyone.
The work has turned into Syrians’ talk on social media platforms and a rich material for the media since the presentation of the first episodes of it for several reasons, including the storm that has been raised about the property rights of the text, and of course the audacity to present topics related to the corruption of the authority in Syria and its responsibility for smuggling weapons and drugs, and other social issues Such as bad economic conditions, immigration, honor crime and others.
The series is written by Ali Al-Saleh, directed by Rasha Sharbatji, and starring Fayez Qazak, Karis Bashar, Nadine, Khaled Al-Qish, Nadine Tahsin Bek, in addition to a number of young faces.
To a lesser extent than the previous two works, viewers watched the series “Hayed El Hob,” which brings together artists Duraid Lahham and Osama El Romani for the first time since the play “Weird” was shown in the seventies of the last century.
The events of the series (written by Fadi Koshoggi, directed by Basem Al-Silka) revolve around the pressures faced by the families of Amin and Hassan, who have been friends for more than 4 decades, and co-starring Salloum Haddad, Nadine, Sabah Al-Jazaery, Wafaa Moussalli, and others.
New parts of the work of the Levantine environment
The Ramadan 2022 season was not without the work of the Levantine environment, and it received great criticism because of the misconceptions that it promotes, or its artistic level, and the series “Aziza Choir” may have received the bulk of the criticism, which contributed to its wider spread, as the organizers (authored by Khaldoun) are trying Two Kills, directed by Tamer Ishaq) Shed light on the period of the French Mandate in Syria through a popular story that takes place in Damascus during the thirties of the last century, its heroine, the dancer Aziza.
But many of the followers criticized his message, so opinions differed between those who accused the series of exaggerated boldness, especially since it was shown during the month of fasting, and those who found it far from the Syrian reality at the time and in it a lot of undermining the stage of the popular struggle against the French and dwarfing the Damascene society, which at that time included elites of intellectuals and politicians.
The last criticism has always been directed to the series "Bab Al Hara", which was also found in the Ramadan race this year in its 12th part, despite the absence of most of the stars of the first parts of it, which gave it the great popularity that it has achieved over the past years.
The new part, which some considered a miserable attempt to save the series, includes Najah Safkouni, Salma Al-Masry, and the late Zuhair Ramadan, whose scenes were filmed before his death in November of last year, and the series was written by Marwan Qaouk, directed by Muhammad Zuhair Rajab, Who directed another series this year, the second part of "Brokar", written by the late Samir Hazeem, and deals with the world of silk industry and trade in Damascus during the last century.
Perhaps the second season of “Haret al-Qubba” is the best work of the Levantine environment this year from a technical point of view, and it talks about the suffering of the people during the period of Ottoman rule. Mimar, Khaled Al-Qish, Muhammad Hadaki, and others.
In addition to these works, the second part of “Al-Kandoush” falls within the same category, but it takes a more lively and interesting path than the first part, and this is what exposed it to harsh criticism, but it was not without problems after the director of the work, Samir Hussein, dropped the author’s name The original text is the artist Hossam Tahsin Bey from the series' badge and attributed to the writer Muhammad Al-Aas, and the series stars Ayman Zidan, Solaf Fawakherji, Sabah Al-Jazaery, Kinda Hanna, Saad Mina, Shukran Murtaja, Muhammad Hadaki.
Comedy works do not meet the aspirations of the audience
The 15th part of the satirical comedy “Spot of Light” series was not able to achieve the same success that the first parts achieved, and this may be due to the restriction of its presentation on Syrian and Jordanian channels. Shukran Murtaja, Mohamed Hadaki, and many others.
Within the comedy category, the Syrian drama this year presents two other works, the first is “The Three Musketeers” written by Mahmoud Al-Jafouri, directed by Ali Al-Moadhin, and its events revolve around 3 men over the age of 50 who are trying to confront job corruption and secure their livelihood in different ways, and it is starring Ayman Zaidan. And Jamal Al-Ali and Gerges are mighty.
As for the other, it is the series "Hawazeek" and its events take place in a hotel whose owners were forced to receive more new guests due to financial hardship, and it was written by Ziad Sari and directed by Rashad Kokash, and starring Salma Al-Masry and Wael Ramadan.
The decline of the joint Syrian-Lebanese business
This season witnessed a noticeable decline in the number of joint Syrian-Lebanese works compared to previous years, and the absence of its most prominent stars such as Tim Hassan, Maxim Khalil, Abed Fahd and Qusai Khouli.
After the first season was shown on the “Netflix” platform, the series “To Death” returns to the fore through the “Shahid” platform and the Lebanese “MTV” channel, where the events of the series are completed in the same format as the first part of it, written by Nadine Jaber and directed by Philip Asmar, starring Maguy Bogson, Daniela Rahma, Mohamed Al-Ahmad, and Basem Mughniyeh.
Also entering the Ramadan race this year is the series "Shadow", which tells the story of a law firm owner who controls the lives of others. It was written by Saif Reda Hamed, the script by Zuhair Al Mulla, directed by Mahmoud Kamel, and starring roles in it are Jamal Suleiman, Abdel Moneim Amayri, Youssef Al Khal, Kinda Hanna, and Jesse Abdo.
Return of historical works
Ramadan 2022 witnessed the return of historical works through the series "Fatah Al-Andalus", which attempts to shed light on an important era in Islamic history and the personality of Tangier's Prince Tariq bin Ziyad.
The series directed by Muhammad Sami Al-Anzi is based on a text by the writer Madin Al-Rashidi in cooperation with several writers, and it stars Suhail Al-Jabai, Rafiq Ali Ahmed, Tayseer Idris, Pierre Dagher, and others.
In addition, the series "Wolves of the Night", directed by Sami Al-Janadi and writer Hani Al-Saadi, comes from the category of historical fantasy, and its events revolve around a city besieged by evil and greed.