Five Television Adaptations We’d Prefer Seeing on Lebanese TV

Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw once said: “Imitation is not just the sincerest form of flattery – it’s the sincerest form of learning”, and we have a lot of learning ahead of us. A huge chunk of global television programming is produced by the United States and the United Kingdom, and the nations of the world are satisfied with merely adapting their concepts for their respective regional markets; Lebanon included. We’ve had our own versions of Star Academy, American Idol, The Voice and currently Dancing with the Stars.

But come on. If you insist on putting all these valuable resources and awesome local talent into yet another adaptation, at least pick something more interesting, something different . Something like…

Glee

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Go over that list of foreign adaptations we’ve seen on Lebanese airwaves one more time and you may notice a recurring theme: that would be singing and dancing. We sure do love singing and dancing. In the series Glee, a high school glee club struggles to make it to the top while dealing with hardships in their personal lives, and their director, who happens to be a Spanish teacher, also finds himself up against various obstacles. In its essence, it is a series of choreographed musical numbers, woven into a narrative context; so basically every Star Academy prime ever, but with a cast of characters and a plot. There’s drama, there’s comedy and most importantly music, what more could you want?

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

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We don’t have to call it CSI: Beirut, but it must be made. The series follows a team of criminalists working for the Las Vegas Police Department who use physical evidence and their keen powers of deduction to solve murders. I know, it’s not very realistic or accurate compared to actual forensic investigation procedures, but hey it’s just TV. In a country as rife with crime and disorder as ours, it’s a sin not to produce an action-packed crime-drama. Hell, you wouldn’t even need writers, just switch on the news and go from there. Think of the fast-paced chase scenes. Think of the thrilling shootouts. Think of the cheesy Arabic one-liners. Until this is made, all we’ll have to look to for Lebanese action are these 10 glorious minutes.

Grey’s Anatomy

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We already have lots of dramas, but why not a medical drama? Or any [insert profession here] drama for that matter? Grey’s Anatomy follows the lives of a group of surgical interns and residents on their journey to becoming qualified doctors, as well as their struggles in each of their personal lives. Here’s a chance to offer Lebanese audiences some well-written drama while at the same time having a central theme and focus, that being the setting of the hospital and the hardships that come with it; instead of it all just being a bit of lust here, a bit of infidelity there. Now I could have suggested we adapt Scrubs instead, but I think that could come after we pull this off.

The Big Bang Theory

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This one might not be for everybody, but that’s exactly why it has to be done; we need some intelligent humor. The series follows the lives of two roommates, who can best be described as geeks, living next door to a ditzy aspiring actress. Hilarity ensues as she has trouble understanding their geekish ways and they struggle to comprehend her social skills. You can’t deny that we’ve got geeks in Lebanon. We have hardcore gamers, we have comic book fans, we have anime-freaks, and more. One prominent difference in a Lebanese version would be that as geeks in Lebanon, these guys would have a harder time pursuing their hobbies, since comic book stores are non-existent and online gaming is a hassle due to power cuts and internet speeds among other issues. Consider this university project of mine as a precursor.

The Office (UK)

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Out of all the shows in this list, this is the one that has the most versions already. Everyone recognizes how great this show is except us! Even the Israelis! Come on guys… The Office centers around… an office, and documents the interaction between an egotistical out-of-touch boss and his employees, each of whom has a distinct personality. It is shot in a mockumentary style, in which the camera’s presence is acknowledged and frames are not always steady. The reason we desperately need this one is because much of the humor in the series is subtle and toned down, as well as cringe-worthy, as in, you feel uncomfortable seeing the situations that unfold in that setting. In Lebanese comedy, everything’s over the top and exaggerated, with yelling and people falling down and all that… We need this!

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