Miami Vice in Dubai, Baywatch in Egypt!

Baywatch on the Egyptian coast? It's coming soon. Miami Vice in Dubai? It's about to start production. Friends in Baghdad? No, not really.

But television formats made popular in the West, led by Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, continue to find audiences across the Middle East. If one judges solely by the increasing success of foreign TV formats in the Arab world, then the whole idea of a clash of civilizations looks as fictional as an episode of Ally McBeal.

Reality series that feature the making of a pop star have proved one of the great recent successes worldwide. SuperStar, a pan-Arab version of the pop-star format owned by Britain's FreemantleMedia, was by far this summer's biggest hit on Arab television.

FreemantleMedia has succeeded in selling a number of its formats in the Arab world, principally through Future Television and MBC, with successes including Arabic versions of Greed, Family Feud and Everybody's Equal.

These syndicated productions are set to be joined by two foreign-inspired action series, one a beach action drama, which has all the trappings of Baywatch, and an action adventure series called Triple I. Hollywood star Sylvester Stallone has reportedly taken an active interest in both of these new series.

In August, Lebanon's Future Television concluded the enormously successful SuperStar pop talent show. Jordan's Diana Karazoun won the contest ahead of another finalist from Syria. Victory was determined by votes taken by telephone, text message and over the Internet, with Karazoun taking 53 percent of some 4.8 million votes cast.

SuperStar is based on the award-winning Pop Idol first seen in Britain in October 2001. The format has since been commissioned in over 20 countries. The early rounds whittled down the number of contestants in SuperStar to 12 finalists from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and the UAE.

Future Television negotiated the contract for SuperStar as a pan-Arab format. 'The music is Arab, the contestants are Arab, the judges are Arab, the hosts are Arab,' says Isabelle Garcia, programming executive for FreemantleMedia Production. 'The show is totally localized and embraces the best of the Arab world.'

Garcia says that, through voting, the audience has a direct stake in the outcome of the show. The SuperStar format also appeals because it showcases ordinary people with extraordinary talent and viewers watch young people develop into stars. The whole process is transparent, she points out.

The show is also an opportunity for Arab viewers and performers to assert their own identity. 'SuperStar is a positive show, and allows Arabs to feel genuinely proud of who they are, their culture and their young people,' says Garcia.

The initiative to have a regional rather than one or more national versions has paid off handsomely. SuperStar inflamed nationalistic passions in ways usually reserved for the region's football terraces. According to Arab Advisors, 80 percent of the votes came from Jordan, Syria and Lebanon in the semifinal round, where the three finalists came from those countries.

Eighty-four percent of the votes coming from Jordan were in favor of Diana Karazoun, 97 percent of the votes from Syria were in favor of Rowaida Atieh, and 79 percent of the votes from Lebanon were in favor of Melhem Zein. Arab Advisors said that 'the GSM operators in those countries turned it into a sort of national duty to vote for the compatriot.'

Passions during the voting ran so high that the outing of Lebanon's Zein in the semifinal led to 150 fans gathering outside the television studio to protest the decision; reportedly, the disorder caused the Jordanian and Syrian contestants to faint.

The combination of nationalism and mobile voting power generated a text-messaging windfall for regional mobile operators, generating some $4 million in revenues, shared with Future Television and the satellite service provider.

'SuperStar and its massive voting revenues is a prime example of how the GSM operators can leverage the TV content of many of the satellite stations in the Arab world,' says Jawad Abbassi, president of Arab Advisors.

Arab pop music has an accepted place in the region's culture. However, an Egyptian version of Baywatch is an altogether more controversial prospect - should it make it to air. The prospect of lifeguards in bathing suits parading across the screen will certainly trouble conservatives across the region.

The series, to be called Shatti Al Ahlam (Beach of Dreams), is to revolve around a team of lifeguards who - besides saving lives - solve crimes and, naturally, look good doing so.

Youssef Mansour - the show's producer, an action star and the head of Egyptian Action Film - dismisses criticisms of the show as unsuitable for a conservative culture, pointing out that swimsuit-clad men and women are already a reality at Egyptian resorts. The producer has apparently already agreed to content parameters with censors. The show is due to air in January on satellite channels in the region and the United States.

The entire show will be shot at Egyptian locations, such as the Red Sea, Luxor and Alexandria. The producers are expecting to film 52 episodes of around 50 minutes each. Foreign action stars, including Steven Seagal and Dolph Lundgren, may also make guest appearances. This may be more than spin - Mansour is rumored to be starring in a new Lundgren movie called Retrograde.

Funding for Shatti Al Ahlam is to come initially from Egyptian Action Film and Franchise Films (which has produced such movies as The Whole Nine Yards and the remake of Get Carter), while distribution will be taken care of by ICM. Professional diving association PADI International has reportedly promised to train the rescue team.

Sylvester Stallone is said to have a role as producer or casting director for Egypt's version of Baywatch. He visited Egypt in late summer. Casting was scheduled for September, with openings for seven women and three men.

There are two camps on what these programs and foreign TV formats bring to the region. One camp says this is yet another distressing example of Western cultural imperialism. Another camp sees
it as a positive opportunity to display Arab culture by taking the nuts and bolts of a foreign format and thoroughly Arabizing it.

Supporters of Shatti Al Ahlam argue that it will promote Egyptian tourism. Mansour says, 'I loved Baywatch and decided it was a good vehicle to promote many things in modern Egypt, to show beautiful beaches and the reefs - our underwater treasures.' He is also keen to portray a more positive image of the Middle East than war, terrorism and camels.

The benefit of tried and tested foreign TV formats can have a positive impact on production values in the region. 'There are lots of benefits for Arab channels when they decide to obtain the rights to well developed format ideas,' said Garcia.

'Licensing in formats actually saves channels time. They also have the added benefit of receiving the very best in production expertise, which, in turn, improves local production skills and values.'

When a company buys a FreemantleMedia format, it receives production consultancy, with FreemantleMedia working in cooperation with the channel and production crew.

Garcia added that there is substantial local input with FreemantleMedia formats. 'It is important to understand the local conditions and cultures to ensure that what is produced will work for local audiences, which is something that our producers learn from the local crews,' she said. The shows have to look and feel Arab. 'We give the structure, but the channels add in the flavor and the look.'

Cultural invasion by satellite has been bemoaned in the Arab world since the first dishes went up. IslamOnline carried a report quoting Egyptian intellectuals saying the program Shatti Al Ahlam 'does not even deserve comment' and 'is sure to hurt an already suffering image of the Middle East.'

Sahar El-Mougy, an Egyptian writer and activist, says, 'This can't be the right way. The West has its own rules and traditions that are definitely different from ours. Changing the Middle East vision does never mean to be a copy of the West. You have always to preserve your national identity.'

As for SuperStar, Jordan's opposition Islamic Action Front (IAF) party criticized Jordanians for giving all their attention to the show rather than focusing on the US occupation of Iraq and Israel's repression of Palestinians.

In a statement, the IAF said, 'This show harms national values and causes, distorts public perceptions, deviates future generations from their aspirations and the more important and decisive causes. We urge all sincere people to confront this dangerous phenomenon.'

Successful satellite TV programs reach millions across the Arab world - and potentially beyond the region. While Arab broadcasters currently import foreign TV formats to bolster local content, the flow can potentially work both ways.

There is global interest in the Arab world, but viewers tune into what is entertaining and well produced. Says Garcia, 'I look forward to the day when we will be vying for great ideas coming out of the region, too.'