Arabic series – list of TV shows to learn Arabic

Listening plays a great role in the process of learning a language. When you feel tired and you don’t feel like learning Arabic in the traditional way, Arabic series come to the rescue.

We have prepared a list of Arabic series grouped by dialects. The year of production, a link to the first episode and a brief description of the plot are added to each TV show.

We tried to select only fairly new productions, so that they are modern and more enjoyable to watch. All series in the list below are watchable in good quality.

Learning Arabic with TV shows

The lack of English subtitles can make watching difficult for beginners. However, it’s not worth giving up watching the series, because (especially in the case of dialects) they are a great source of knowledge regarding the language used by native speakers.

Although it may be difficult at first and you may feel a bit overwhelmed, after a few episodes you will see a significant difference.

Watching series in the language you are learning will greatly improve your listening comprehension skills and make you feel more comfortable using the language.

In addition, noting down important and frequently used words and whole phrases will help you expand your vocabulary.

Remembering new words will also be easy due to the fact that you will be learning vocabulary from context.

Useful Vocabulary

TV shows in Modern Standard Arabic

As Modern Standard Arabic is not an everyday language, most Arabic series in MSA are historical series. MSA is also used often (dialects as well though) in dubbing foreign TV shows.

With English subtitles

1. Harun Al Rashid (2018) (episode 1)

The series deals with the struggle Harun Al-Rashid faced when his brother Al-Hadi tried to dethrone him. After his mother helped him stay in his position, he had to deal with all the plots that were coming his way. The show also examines the civilization under Harun Al-Rashid’s rule.

elcinema

Without subtitles

1. Orcadia (2017) (first episode)

An Imaginary historical series, showing the stories of the kingdoms and their wars for the ambitions of governance and revenge. The series raise the question about the upper hand in the relationship between destiny and human

WatanFlix

2. Dalila Wal Zaybaq (2011) (first episode)

During the reign of the Mamluks, the story trace (Delilah) rebel women who succeed to replace (Hassan Ras Alghool) in his job in the police force, and get back to him for killing her husband .After more than 20 years (Ali ) the son of (Hassan Ras Alghool) return back for revenge .

WatanFlix

3. Antarah Ibn Shaddad (2008) (first episode)

The life of ” Antarah Ibn Shaddad ” the most famous poet . And the love story between him and “Abla”.

WatanFlix

Egyptian Arabic series

1. Elmaddah (2021) – episode 1

Saber Al Maddah is a religious man who is well-loved among his people. But when he falls in love, he loses everything in a moment of uncontrollable rage after he kills the closest person to his beloved, thus turning his life upside down.

elcinema

2. Al Tabbal (2016) The Drummer – episode 1

The series revolves around the drummer (Saleh), who works in a nightclub secretly, and leads a gang, trying to improve his life and the life of his family after his father lost their financial rights due to his addiction to gambling.

wikipedia

3. Rahim (2018) – episode 1

The show revolves around Rahim, a rich businessman, who works in money laundry and currency smuggling. After he gets out of a long prison sentence, he finds out that his men took all his money and drove his family away. He goes on a journey to find them and get his belongings back.

elcinema

4. Harbana Menha (2017) – episode 1 – comedy

Plot: After a car accident, a woman tells the psychiatrist the story of her life. Each episode is a different story

5. Al Araaf (2013) – episode 1

A crook manages to evade capture for a long time as he switches between various identities that make it difficult for the police to catch him. As he is finally caught by the police officer who has spent his life chasing him, both of them are changed forever by a series of events.

elcinema

6. El Hala G (2017) – episode 1

The series revolves around a police officer who has a problem that makes him have a special relationship with the director of a medical institution.

elcinema

7. El Boyoot Asrar (2015) – episode 1 – mystery

Four girls are linked to a cook who’s mysteriously killed during a party at a famous artist’s villa. The girls are being blamed as police interrogate all those present at the party to uncover the murderer, and the secrets and mysteries of many of them are revealed.

elcinema

8. Wesh Tany (2015) – episode 1

Businessman (Hussein Fahmi) escapes outside Egypt with his stolen wealth , while a middle class man (Karim Abdel Aziz) works as a security guard for the businessman to support his father and siblings.

elcinema

Arabic series in Levantine Arabic

Luckily, there are a great number of widely available Arabic series in the Levantine dialect. Below you will find a list of Arabic series for each country of the Levant.

It’s also common for series to feature actors from different countries, so don’t be surprised if you hear a Syrian accent in a Lebanese TV show.

If you are learning Levantine Arabic see also:

• Levantine Arabic: learn new vocabulary with memes 
• 35 popular Arabic proverbs in Levantine Arabic
• Arabic immersion guide- ideas and resources

TV shows in Lebanese Arabic

1. Ashab Talati (2018) – episode 1

A Lebanese social comedy about three women in their forties: Samar, Jana, and Rima. Through Samar’s work in a businessman-owned beauty salon in Beirut, she becomes involved in the lives and secrets of her fellow workers, as well as the lives of the regular clients whom they serve.

elcinema

2. Ya Delli Ya Ana (2020) – episode 1 – comedy/ sitcom

The events revolve around a married couple who have many problems, but are forced to adhere to the home quarantine in the same house due to the Coronavirus, and soon the couple goes through many funny situations.

elcinema

3. Hind Khanum (2020) – episode 1

The story follows Hind, the weak wife who lies under the oppression of her husband, whose death opens a window to freedom for a mother and two sons who have long suffered from the control of their father.

elcinema

4. La qablik wala baedik (2019) – episode 1

Bodi is a handsome and light-hearted young man, living his life looking for true love. When he meets the smart girl Tina, he discovers that she’s the one he is looking for, but he has to overcome her negative thoughts about love.

elcinema

5. Caramel (2017) – episode 1

The series deals with a number of love stories interspersed with strange events, starting with Maya, who lives with her mother. Her life is turned upside down because of a piece of caramel that enables her to read minds, and then she meets a businessman coming from France.

elcinema

6. El Bayt El Abyad (2018) – episode 1

In Lebanon, the family of Al-Abyad is shocked when their son Ewan twists their arms and marries Ruby, the daughter of the family’s prime rival, against their will. They do all they can to separate the couple. Will they eventually succeed?

elcinema

Syrian Arabic TV shows

1. Al nadam (2016) – episode 1

2. Fawda (2018) – episode 1

In a middle-class neighborhood at the heart of the city, the brothers Fares and Zidane fall in love with the same girl, Fathia. Meanwhile, the lawyer Rateb receives life threats from a guy who rose to power in the midst of the chaos ravaging the country.

elcinema

3. Ahmar (2016) – episode 1

The series is about Judge who is killed mysteriously, and the events revolve around uncovering the circumstances of the crime and the intent of the murderer, where an important unspoken past is discovered, related to the murdered judge and his work.

elcinema

TV shows in Palestinian/ Jordanian Arabic

1. Watan 3a watar – random episode

Very popular comedy TV show. Each episode is a different story.

If you are still searching for something to watch visit Fi Kalam for suggestions of the best Levantine Arabic series and movies.

Learn Gulf Arabic with Arabic series

Emirati Arabic

1. Al-Beshara (2018) – episode 1– comedy

The events revolve in a comic social framework, about Sultan, whose father dies and leaves him with a large inheritance. The lawyer requires, before handing over the will, that he search for brothers from his father, and he is actually surprised that he has a brother or sister from every country.

wikipedia

2. خيانة وطن – episode 1 (2016) – drama

Ritaj takes care of her sick father and helps him overcome the ordeals he is going through. Suddenly she finds herself in a whirlpool of love and secret organization, to begin the struggle to discover the truth.

www.adtv.ae

3. على قد الحال – episode 1 (2017) – comedy

A family living in a local area is exposed to many situations and problems during their greedy pursuit of money. Starting with the mother who works as a baker and her daughter, a skilled cook, who is suffering from her husband who can’t find a suitable job.

elcinema

Kuwait

1. Mahtet Entzar (2018) (episode 1)

A dramatic series about the daily struggle that people go through, especially those related to social issues, where ignorance, customs and traditions may be the reason behind it.

elcinema

2. Juman (2019) (episode 1 ) – it is also available on Netflix with subtitles in English/Arabic

This series has a Middle Eastern “Romeo & Juliet” theme. Juman and Hisham fall in love and marry, against their families’ advice. With familial pressures and differences in their understanding, their love is sorely tested.

www.imdb.com

3. Alwajh almustaear (2016) – episode 1

Having a rare disease that causes her hair to fall, Shams is shunned and left by her family and a new loving family adopts her. Now a rich businesswoman, Shams witnesses the echo of her own tragedy, but this time with her niece. Will she manage to save her?

elcinema

Saudi Arabia

1. Al Zahiriya (2022)  – episode 1

Fayez, a teacher living in Riyadh, has left his heart in his small town, Al Zahiriya, with Ghalia. However, he finds himself torn between seeking revenge, which could ruin his life, and moving on

elcinema

Arabic series- Qatar

1. Aljar (2019) – episode 1

A story of the interrelated lives of a group of neighbors and the relationships they share.

elcinema

2. Aleumr Marra (2020)  – episode 1

When her father travels abroad, the young daughter is convinced by her family that he has passed away. Grieving his loss, she leads a tragic life at her aunt’s. As time passes by, however, she learns that her dear father is alive.

elcinema

Arabic series in Moroccan Arabic

1. L’Maktoub (2022) – episode 1

As a family seeks to keep its inheritance, its members decide to marry off Omar Al-Maatawi to his brother’s wife after his death in order to achieve that end, but Omar’s heart is attached to the girl Hind, who looks very similar to his deceased wife

elcinema

2. Zenqat Essaada (2022) – episode 1 – sitcom

The events revolve around the family of Hajj Al-Moumti, a rich family that is forced to live in a working-class area called the Alley of Happiness, whose properties are owned by Hajj, but his wife is unable to adapt to the new social situation, and many comic situations of the simple life of the residents ensue.

elcinema

3. Safi Salina (2022)  – episode 1

A married couple is about to split up after a marriage that lasted more than 17 years due to infidelity, but with the beginning of the divorce procedures, the Corona pandemic breaks out and everyone is quarantined in their homes, so the wife decides to build a separation wall in the house, after which many events unfold.

elcinema

4. Layali Al Hay Al Kadim (2021) – episode 1

5. Biya Wla Bik (2022) – episode 1

When financial problems affect the brick company owned by the Ben Omar family, making all of their property under seizure, the eldest son, Hakim Ben Omar, who is accustomed to a life of luxury, decides to change the company’s field of work and turn it into a tourist resort, disregarding the fate of the workers who spent their lives in his service, leading him to face a series of conflicts.

elcinema

Series in Tunisian Arabic

1. Zanqet El Basha (2019) – episode 1

A series about Tunisian citizens and the every-day challenges they go through.

elcinema

2. Hayet Khassa (2018) – episode 1

The series sheds light on the daily life of Tunisian youth, through the depiction of the everyday lives of college students and the problems they encounter as they graduate and start working, with a focus on the struggles working women face to balance their jobs with their obligations at home.

elcinema

We hope you will find a series for yourself and that you will enjoy it. Language learning is a long process, so It’s good to diversify your learning methods to stay motivated and TV series are great for that.

Every now and then we will update the list and add more series so stay tuned!