December 2025,

Cedars Art Production (Sabbah Brothers) has confirmed nine new scripted series for Ramadan 2026, continuing its role as one of the most consistent independent suppliers to the Middle East’s peak television season, now for more than 4 decades. Known for its strong market share, creative leadership, and production scale, the company continues to shape Ramadan’s competitive drama landscape year after year.

Each year, the month of Ramadan drives the region’s biggest TV premieres — an Arabic equivalent of fall season launches in the U.S. — with high-budget dramas known as Musalsalat dominating prime-time schedules across networks and streaming platforms.

Nine New Titles, Three Production Hubs

The 2026 lineup spans across Levant, Egypt, and Morocco, covering social dramas, thrillers, comedies, and romantic series. All will roll out on MBC and its streaming arm Shahid, with several Pan Arab projects also open for secondary rights and regional licensing.

The three Pan-Arab Levantine dramas:

• Mawlana, a 30-part social drama starring Taim Hassan, Nour Ali, and Mona Wassef—the icon of Arab drama—centers on a fugitive whose stolen identity leads him into a web of power and corruption.

• If Possible (Momken), featuring the highly anticipated pairing of Nadine Nassib Njeim and Dhafer L’Abidine, follows two people from contrasting worlds whose unexpected bond challenges the scars of their past and society’s expectations.

• Five Souls (B’khams Arwah), a social drama thriller reuniting Kosai Khauli and Karess Bashar, follows a man who discovers he is the sole heir to a billionaire father—but must find his three siblings within six months or lose everything, including himself.

Egypt anchors the slate with five projects, ranging from family comedies to long-running franchises. Among them are Abbas, a generational drama led by Amr Saad; Dad & Mom Are Neighbors, a 15-episode romantic comedy with Ahmed Dawood and Mirna Gamil; and Together (Sawa Sawa), a youth-focused love story starring Ahmed Malek and Hoda El-Mufti.
The supernatural hit Al Maddah returns for its sixth season, while The Other Sister (Noon El Neswa) explores sibling rivalry and redemption.

In Morocco, Ras Al Jabal brings together Assaad Bouab and Hiba Bennani in an action and crime-driven love story. The project is the Moroccan adaptation of the hit series Al Hayba, following the first international remake produced by Ay Yapım in Turkey under the title Uzak Şehir, which achieved strong ratings and wide acclaim — further underscoring the format’s cross-market appeal.

A Regional Player with Global Intent

Cedars Art produces an average of eight titles each Ramadan consistently delivering multiple high-end dramas each year. Its production footprint regularly extends across five or more countries, a strategy designed to mitigate political and logistical risks while balancing budgets.

The studio’s catalog now exceeds 150 titles — includes consistent top-10’s on Shahid and Netflix— as well as second, third, and fourth runs that have been distributed through prominent channel networks and regional platforms and numerous international broadcast networks, reaching audiences in over 30 territories.

Arabic Drama’s Expanding Footprint

Ramadan continues to represent the peak of the Arabic television calendar — and the height of Cedars Art’s production schedule. During the month, viewers spend an average of four to five hours per day watching video content, while advertising rates rise sharply; the period accounts for around 40% of annual advertising expenditure across the region (source: Ipsos). In recent years, streaming demand for Arabic dramas has grown 24-fold within MENA and 21-fold internationally (Source: Parrot Analytics), with Shahid — the world’s largest Arabic streaming platform and Cedars Art’s first-look streaming partner — reporting double-digit user growth and a steady increase in international interest in original Arabic IP.

Cedars Art, one of the few independents maintaining a multi-country pipeline, has become a key supplier in this evolving landscape:  balancing traditional network commissions with titles designed for cross-border licensing and potential remake adaptation.