This Ramadan, the production of drama television series has reached an unprecedented record high. The vast selection of series deals with a variety of different topics and approaches, while the good ones remain praiseworthy, giving rise to constructive criticism.

The series “King Farouk” presents the late Egyptian monarch in a totally different light than what had been propagated during the revolution whereby he was depicted as a corrupt and evil man.

A tribute must be paid to Dr. Lamis Gaber who wrote the screenplay and presented the historical biography in a balanced and bold manner in which truth prevailed over the inherited conceptions. Syrian director Hatem Ali’s vision is distinctive and commendable; details are masterfully taken into consideration and the casting is exemplary.

Prominent Syrian director, Bassam al Malla, presents the sequel to last year’s ‘Bab al Hara’ (Alley Gate), which has won wide critical acclaim. The series presents a microcosmic view of life through a small local alley in ancient Damascus with all its trends and fluctuations.

Al Malla’s attention to detail is creatively refreshing in a manner that is novel to Arab drama series. Another winning factor in the series is the simplicity with which he presents the struggle between good and evil and the revival of virtuous customs, morals and values that have disappeared from people’s lives.

The series ‘Tash ma Tash’ continues to attract large numbers of viewers among the Saudi society and still continues to broach and highlight relevant issues in a more forward manner than previously ever before. The recurrent issues and themes remain pertinent and debatable since many of them, despite having been tackled before over a span of 15 years, still lack resolution. As such, they remain present and thus dealing with them and discussing them is required.

Egyptian actor Nour el Sherif contributes a compelling series in a biographical account of the life and success of a businessman who achieved renown during President Anwar Sadat’s era. Entitled ‘El Daly’, many believe that the character is based on the Egyptian businessman Osman Ahmed Osman, however el Sherif has denied these allegations. The series illustrates the relationship between economics and politics in an interesting manner.

Although there is an abundance of drama television series this month, only a select few are memorable.