via Filfan

2015 accompanied massive productions from a new generation of writers that introduced new styles and camera angles and tackled numerous taboo topics. Awareness towards drug abuse, political corruption, and the media’s hidden agendas was raised through the small screens.

Successes    

Here are just a few shows that everyone agreed were the highlight of that Ramadan season.

Taht Al Saytara

via YouTube

This masterpiece shed light on addiction like never before. It humanised addicts, focusing on the temptations that arise during sobriety, society’s role in creating addicts, diseases that can spread by using drugs, and life inside rehabilitation centres. All credit goes to director Tamer Mohsen, who co-wrote the story with Mariam Naoum. The show additionally showcased brilliant acting performances from Nelly Karim and Mohamed Farag and introduced us to Jamila Awad.

Tareeqy

via Sayidaty

Sherine Abdel Wahab took the lead in her first experience in television drama, written by Tamer Habib and directed by Mohamed Shaker Khodeir. Tareeqy marked Sherine’s comeback after her only movie, Mido Mashakel, was released over a decade previously.

Lahfa

via Dhliz

After Donia Samir Ghanem’s success in the multi-season show Al Kabeer, she left her days as a supporting character behind and became the star of her own show. Every episode encompassed a star cameo, helping Lahfa become the critical and commercial success that it was. Donia even reprised her titular role years later in Badal Al Hadota Talata.

Missteps

These shows were far from bad but had some wasted potential. Nonetheless, we had higher expectations for them.

Le3bet Iblis

via Facebook

When it was announced that Youssef Al Sherif would play the role of two brothers — a magician and a businessman — we assumed they’d be twins. Unfortunately, having the same actor play two unidentical roles proved to be an absolute disappointment. Add the prolonged and repetitive magic tricks filmed, and the series quickly became more dull with every episode.

Haret Al Yahoud

via Almasr Alyoum

Reham Abdulghafour’s failed attempt at belly dancing, which should have been a prerequisite for the role of a girl whose dream is to be a dancer, reflected poorly on the show. Moreover, the costumes and set could not cover the historical errors in the plot, which were heavily criticised by many.

Al Ahd (Al Kalam Al Mobah)

via Filfan

The reason behind this show’s underrated nature remains a mystery, especially with its star-studded cast. It could be that viewers caught on to what was between the lines of the fantasy show, realising that this dystopian world projects Egypt’s reality across the past couple of years, with multiple references to power, religion, corruption, and revolutions.

Ostaz Wa Ra’ees Qesm

via Almasr Alyoum

In 2015, the audience had had enough of politics in their everyday lives that they refrained from watching any politically derived show. So, like Al Ahd, this series flew under the radar, with only Al Za3im’s most dedicated fans tuning in daily.

Failures

Meanwhile, some shows did not meet the criteria needed to boom. They failed to collect sufficient recognition despite being linked to such famous household names.

Ramez Wakel Al Gaw

via Alziadiq 8

Ramez Galal’s first-ever international star guest featured in his prank shows was none other than the heiress of the Hilton hotel chain, Paris Hilton. Regardless of your stance on Ramez’s annual show, we must all agree that having the model on Egyptian TV was a monumental moment. However, the episode faced backlash from international magazines that called the prank inhumane after seeing Paris’ state of terror and hysterical crying.

Alf Leila Wa Leila

via Bitajarod

What was initially going to be the first Egyptian 3D movie starring the biggest names in Egypt was turned into a series instead due to production issues. To turn a project that was expected to run for less than two hours into a 30-episode series, it was split into thirds with different actors and storylines, none of which would grab your attention.

Zahab Wa 3awda

via Almasr Alyoum

Ahmed Al Sakka’s success on the big screen didn’t grant him the same hit with TV shows. Even with the impressive photography, colossal production budget, and compelling plotline of children being kidnapped and trafficked, the show did not get half the recognition it needed to succeed.

Wesh Tany

via Facebook

The same applied to Ahmed Ezz, who’s a mastermind when it comes to cinema. Unfortunately, the only attention his show received were memes linking Hussein Fahmy’s looks to the logo man from KFC. 

Al Kabous

via YouTube

After Ghada Abdulrazik’s two-year success with director Mohamed Samy, the actress did her best to revive her hype. Unfortunately, although she walked in Nelly Karim’s steps of shows that trigger your depression, Al Kabous still didn’t triumph.