Syria's TV dramas are testing Ramadan series' boundaries after Assad's fall

Syria's well-known TV dramas are returning to Ramadan screens as the industry tries to rebuild after years of war and the fall of the Assad dynasty

ALEPPO, Syria -- ALEPPO, Syria (AP) — Ramadan in the Arab world is a time of fasting and prayer, but it brings another beloved tradition: the much-anticipated TV drama series shot each year to be aired during the holy month.

After breaking their daily fast, families gather to watch their picks from the year’s crop of soap operas and political and historical dramas, snacking on sweets and nuts and drinking tea and coffee until late in the evening.

The most anticipated productions are often Syrian. While Egypt is known for its movies and Lebanon for its pop singers and composers, Syria's TV series for decades have been seen as the gold standard in the region.

As the country emerges from 14 years of civil war, more than a year after Islamist-led insurgents brought the authoritarian Assad dynasty to an end, Syria’s TV industry is seeking its footing in the new order.

In the Assad years, when political expression was strictly curtailed, “television became the main sort of platform for freedom of expression and also for employment for artists and intellectuals,” an area where they could subtly push boundaries, said Christa Salamandra, a professor of anthropology at Lehman College and the City University of New York who has researched Syrian drama.