We’ve already talked before about how turning on your Arab TV box and watching Arabic TV shows can help you learn Arabic language skills and Arabic dialects faster. Well, move over Arab TV because there’s a new kid in town that goes by the name of Netflix. Watching Netflix series and shows in Arabic can also help language learners learn to speak Arabic better in the same way. So, without further ado, let’s get started on the list of best Arabic shows on Netflix.

1) The Writer / Al katib


A best-selling crime writer must navigate a web of hidden enemies when mysterious things start happening around him. These mysterious things seem an awful lot like the things that happen in his stories. For example, like being accused of a murder eerily parallel to a plot in his latest novel.


From the very beginning, The Writer will expose you to plenty of words and phrases in both the Lebanese and Syrian Arabic related to crime, police, and investigations. However, the show moves pretty fast, so you might not catch every word, but that’s okay, too. It just means you’ll enjoy more the second time around.

2) Al Hayba


Al Hayba is an area located on the border between Syria and Lebanon. Here is where a very stubborn young man – Jabal – and his clan control arms trading and smuggling along the borders. Though Jabal and his family lead a modern lifestyle, he still relies on the traditional customs of the clan to solve conflicts and keep his power.


Also filmed in both Lebanese and Syrian Arabic, you’ll have to work hard as a learner to understand the nuances of what’s going on. But you should get the overall gist of what the characters are talking about.

3) The Secret of the Nile


Known as “فندق جراند” (or “The Grand Hotel”) to its Arabic viewers, this series was based on the Spanish series Netflix was showing at the same time. So, to avoid confusion, Netflix changed the name of this Egyptian Arabic version to The Secret of the Nile. Nevertheless, this is one of the hottest Egyptian series on Netflix.


Taking place in the 1950s, the protagonist, a young man named Ali, arrives in the beautiful city of Aswan to search for his missing sister. He soon finds himself working as a waiter at the Grand Hotel. He falls in love with Nazly, who also just happens to be the daughter of the hotel’s owner. Nazly helps Ali search for his sister and understand the circumstances leading up to her disappearance. During their search, however, they discover even bigger secrets and mysteries lurking inside the Grand Hotel.


You really can’t miss watching this one.

4) Black Crows


Edge-of-you-seat intense, Black Crows is the story of women living under the rule of the Islamic State in Raqqa, Syria. However, don’t expect a documentary. This thirty-episode Arabic Netflix series is a powerful drama about a slave, an undercover journalist, child soldiers, and an ISIS recruit – all women living in an ISIS terrorist cell.


Since you can hear different Arabic dialects, be sure to use Netflix subtitling in Arabic to get the most of your Arabic language learning experience.

5) Jinn


The first original Arabic language series on Netflix, Jinn  focuses on the lives of teenagers tasked with the heavy burden of understanding and investigating the malevolent jinn (magical spirits who may appear in the form of a human or an animal and can take possession of that person or animal)  who happen to appear in their midst.


Once again, because you can hear multiple Arabic dialects in this film, you may find it useful to watch it with subtitles in Arabic. However, if you’ve been watching the shows in the order we’ve suggested them, you may be up for the challenge of not using subtitles at all by now.

6) In the Bosom of a Thorn


This dramatic series tells the story of a baby who was separated from her family. Thi happened during the time that Kuwait was invaded by Iraq leading to the First Gulf War in 1990. As an adult, she is still trying to find her mother all of these years later. This heartwarming story has a huge cast of complex characters. As you can probably guess, since it takes place in Kuwait, it uses the Kuwaiti Arabic dialect.


If you want to learn Arabic so you can watch even more compelling Arabic TV series, Arabic movies or Arabic shows on Netflix, visit our website and download the Kaleela Arabic learning app. Studies have shown that Arabic learning apps are the best way to learn Arabic. Best of all, the Kaleela Arabic learning app lets you learn Arabic language skills at your own pace. Visit our website and find out how you can download our Arabic learning app to your IOS or Android mobile device and start learning Arabic today.



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