JEDDAH, 19 October 2007 — Did Tash Ma Tash take its final bow this past Ramadan season? Or is this just the latest rumor to hit the hugely successful show?
According to a report in yesterday’s Al-Riyadh newspaper, the creators of the satirical comedy, Nasir Al-Gasabi and Abdullah Al-Sadhan, plan to stop the production of the show after nearly 15 years of success and controversy.
The report, which quoted an anonymous official, said that this past Ramadan was the show’s final season. Al-Gasabi and Al-Sadhan reportedly want to concentrate on developing a new show whose storyline will be stretched over several episodes. In Tash Ma Tash, each episode has a new story line.
This is not the first time the show has been plagued by such rumors and critics have said that the show will most likely be back next year.
The satirical comedy, which used to be aired on state-owned Saudi Channel 1 for 13 seasons, was bought by the MBC group in 2005. The show served as a tool of strong social criticism in the Kingdom. Episodes dealing with terrorism and extremism, tribal customs, the ban on women driving, and the religious police have added to the show’s success.
