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NBC Universal Formats, a division of Universal Studio Group has announced a partnership with OSN, the region’s leading entertainment company; an Egyptian media conglomerate; and a Cairo-based media production house to produce an Arabic version of the acclaimed American TV series Suits.
TVision, an 18-old Egyptian production company, will be in charge of the production of the Arabic adaptation, which has been commissioned as an OSN original. The show is set to premiere on the OSN satellite platform and streaming app on April 2, according to a statement released to the media on Monday.
United Media Services (UMS), the Egyptian media giant, has acquired the rights to make the show available to the Egyptian audience on its free-to-air channels and streaming app Watchlist.
“Repurposing this type of show into regional formats is vitally important in the context of Egypt’s ongoing development as a mature and compelling media market,” Tarek El Ganainy, founder and CEO of TVision. “While it remains heavily inspired by the American drama, our version is unique and authentic to Egypt, featuring a celebrated cast of regional stars.”
Suits, which was produced by a division of Universal Studio Group, first aired in the US in 2011. The series, created and written by Aaron Korsh, provides a satirical portrayal of the lives of New York–based and the world’s highest-paid corporate lawyers. The nine-season show, which was nominated for several awards, ran until 2019.
“Suits is one of the most popular TV shows in the world, and we are thrilled to be adapting it for Middle Eastern audiences and partnering once again with our friends at TVision,” said Enrique Guille?n, Executive Vice-president of NBCUniversal Media. “Powered by incredible local talent both on- and off-screen, this new adaptation will bring the universal themes of Suits to life in a way that will excite and connect fans across the region.”
NBC Universal had previously teamed up with TVision, UMS and OSN to produce SLN Arabia comic show, which ran for four seasons in the Middle East.
The first two seasons of the Arabic version of Suits, a total of 30 episodes, are expected to be aired during the Holy month of Ramadan, long deemed the high season for drama viewership across the Arab world.
Earlier this month, the Egyptian press had caught wind of this partnership and released the names of the cast. The announcement unleashed a torrent of satirical memes on the social media among Egyptian fans of the American show. Facebook was flooded with posts sceptical about the viability of an Arabic adaptation of the American hit.
(Writing by Noha El Hennawy; editing by Seban Scaria
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