As a The Office fan, I was amazed knowing the fact that not only the series is adapted from another British mockumentary called The Office UK but also there are more than 10 versions of this show out there made in different languages. And that’s when I found out about Al Maktab: the Arab version of The Office.
To be honest, I started watching the series without any expectations, assuming it would be one of those cheap versions of The Office. I am glad that I was wrong. I’d say, Al Maktab is a well-made adaptation of the US version. Probably one of the best among all the other versions. (I know not many people will agree with me)
As any other Office fan would do, I was trying to match every character like who is who while watching Al Maktab The real fun of the show kicked in after a few episodes when I stopped comparing characters. I realized there can’t be another Michael Scott or Jim or Dwight, or any other character, because they are just too good. Instead of trying to replicate the exact same characters, they needed to rewrite them based on Arab nature and culture. And I’d say, they did quite well in that case.
Before watching the show, I was curious about how they would showcase romantic relationships, considering that any form of romantic intimacy in public places is considered inappropriate in the Saudi context. So, they had to make some smart changes in the show, and I think those changes worked pretty well.
Al Maktab starts its pilot episode following the original script written by Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Greg Daniels where we discover two primary changes:
- The company every employee works for in the show is named “Tard”. Unlike Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, it’s a postal service in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Basma (Arab Pam) has an overprotective brother working in the warehouse instead of a fiancé.
Most of the other episodes are also made based on the original show’s script with some unique touch to it. I liked all the little changes they made to that show. There are some character replacements and modifications as well that all flowed perfectly according to the context. Just imagine if there was a gay character in The Office’s Arab adaptation!
The show managed to capture The Office’s visual vibes flawlessly using its signature filming and editing styles which I liked about this show. If you are an Office fan, you should give it a try. Don’t let the IMDB ratings confuse you; you know, those are not always right.
Where to watch 'Al Maktab'?
Al Maktab is available on the Arabian streaming platform named Shahid with English subtitles. You can watch it by subscribing for $11.19. However, if you prefer not to spend money on it, there’s another alternative. Some random guy on the internet must’ve dropped the mag[]net link of Al Maktab on Reddit. You can look for that. But I don’t really support watching from illegal platforms. If you are really into The Office, I’d say buying the subscription is worth of it.