Every year during Ramadan, dozens of television series compete for the attention of millions who follow them eagerly and engage in passionate social media debates about their plotlines and artistic merits. As the holy month comes to a close, audiences have decided which of the season’s most anticipated shows were worth the hype, and which ones fell short. One show whose standing remains ambiguous, however, is the Egyptian series Taghyeer Gaw (Change of Scenery). Directed by Mariam Abou Ouf and written by Mona El-Shimi and Magdy Amin, the show follows Sherifa (Menna Shalaby)’s attempt to sell the family home to pay for her mother (Sherine)’s rehab, as the latter struggles with addiction. Legal complications take Sherifa to Beirut, where her aunt Aziza, or ‘Zouzou,’ (Mervat Amin) runs a cozy bed and breakfast. When the handbag containing Sherifa’s passport and legal documents is stolen, the short visit stretches into a long journey marked by both mishappenings and life-changing encounters. Unlike most works belonging to the Ramadan serial genre, Taghyeer Gaw features neither complex storylines, nor explicit social commentary, opting instead to let viewers make their own judgments about the slice of…
Why Egyptian Series Taghyeer Gaw Sparked Debate on Social Media
April 20, 2023
