Tash ma Tash

"Tash Ma Tash" (1993-) (Arabic:طاش ما طاش) is a popular Saudi Arabian satirical comedy that has been running for 15 seasons. It used to air on the Saudi State-owned television channel Saudi Channel 1 for 13 seasons but in 2005 it was bought by MBC. New episodes run exclusively during Ramadan right after sunset.

Principal Cast

*Nasir Al-Gasabi-Star
*Abdul-Allah Al-Sadhan-Star
*Fahd Al-Hayan-Co-Star
*Yousef Al-Jarah-Co-Star

ynopsis

The show does not have a single story, but rather every episode has a new story and characters, though popular characters tend to re-appear in new storylines. Most episodes poke fun at the flaws of Saudi society while others are simply for fun.The show was one of the pioneers of self-criticism in the Saudi media, with the episodes often dealing with sensitive topics such as social aspects, culture, terrorism, marital relations, and religion.

Criticisms

The show has been a target for religious clergy after an episode aired which criticized the judges of the local courts (who are clergymen) of skipping work or leaving early, leaving paperwork and cases delayed.

Another episode portrayed the difficulty for women to do basic things without a Mahrim (a legal male guardian). The two heroines of the episode were alone because the husband of one and brother of the other were in Paris for a few weeks. The women were harassed and flirted with in parks by young men, escorted out of shops and turned away from banks. They tried to regain freedom of movement by borrowing a senile grand father (a cure worse than the disease) and finally disguised the daughter of one and niece of the other as a little boy. Ultra-conservatives deemed this episode offensive to Islamic traditions. Many people considered this episode to be somewhat exaggerated but true. [ [http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7&section=0&article=53889&d=3&m=11&y=2004 Saudi TV's dangerous hit] ]

The two stars of the show even received death threats from terrorists after the show aired an episode which attacked terrorism. [ [http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=53524&d=27&m=10&y=2004 Tash ma Tash actors receive death threats] ]

References