Ya Ghayeb- ياغايب: فضل شاكر – Limited Series [2025] on Shahid

Ya Ghayeb feels like a hybrid between a drama series based on a true story, and a docuseries intended to clean-up the artist’s image. The end product is a mixed bag of “meh”.

Let’s clarify something, I grew up listening to Fadel’s songs, and the events covered in the last two episodes (minus the pointless filler ninth episode) are something I experienced. In addition, I love watching true crime and documentaries, so watching this was an easy decision.

That being said, I’m not sure what I actually watched. With an average runtime of 35 minutes per episode, and 8 minutes for the intro and outro credits, and around 5 minutes per episode watching what’s basically a YouTube video of one of Fadel’s performance, what’s left?

An average of 10 to 15 minutes of dramatisation positioned as flashbacks between Fadel himself preaching us how “everyone is against him”.

I’m not debating his perspective here. I wasn’t there. I can’t say if he’s right or wrong. I’m debating the product I saw. It was clear that some reshuffling happened during editing and they had to fill some gaps.

All in all, I decently enjoyed this trip down the memory lane, and the songs, and the writing in the dramatization scenes. However, Shahid should remember that they’re not Hulu. You can’t pull off a Hulu or HBO kind of docu-series with the budget of less than one sitcom episode.

Watch for the songs, and the dramatizations, zone out for Fadel.

Should you watch it?

If you lived the events in Lebanon, it’s a different perspective to what was sold to us. True or not, Fadel remains one of the best singers of our generation.

Where can I watch it?

You can stream Ya Ghayeb exclusively on Shahid.