In Latin America, they call them Telenovelas - hugely popular soap operas that are deeply ingrained into the cultural milieu.
Acting as a tool for social commentary, the miniseries' have expanded beyond the Spanish-speaking world into the Philippines, Malaysia, Egypt and Turkey.
Before the outbreak of war in 2011, Syria was a leader in the Middle East in the number of productions and viewers its series' drew in.
But since then, the industry, known locally as 'Mosalsalat' has been hit hard. According to some figures the number of films produced in the country has plummeted to 20, almost half the number produced in 2010.
Meanwhile, many actors, directors and producers who oppose the regime of Bashar al-Assad have fled the country - now operating out of Lebanon, Egypt and the Arabian Gulf.
The Listening Post's Gouri Sharma looks at the impact of war on the Syrian TV industry and where it's headed.
