TV During Ramadan

In the West, around Christmas and Easter, TV stations put on special, seasonal shows. In the Middle East, normal programming is completely replaced for the month of Ramadan.

The Arabic channels carry special Ramadan shows, related to the season.

My first year in Dubai, the Dubai English language TV station had special programs on Islam, the life of The Prophet (PBUH), and the meaning of Ramadan.

Since then, during Ramadan, the schedules on the English language TV channels all change completely, but the meaning of the change is difficult to discern. The TV series The Biggest Loser replaced the TV series Lost. Seinfeld replaced Third Rock from the Sun.

And, for some reason, they are running a British series about a police inspector set during WWII that is replacing Oprah.

But I haven’t seen a single show on the English language channels broadcasting from the Middle East that have any obvious connection with the month of Ramadan.