‘King the Land,’ the South Korean romantic comedy-drama that’s all the rage on Netflix, has gotten itself into hot water with Arab viewers. The culprit? The depiction of an Arab prince on the show.

In the controversial scene, Prince Samir, as he’s known in the show, struts around in traditional Arab garb with a shimagh and thobe, hitting up a nightclub, surrounded by ladies and drinks.

Talk about being rich, flirty, and living the high life! But some folks weren’t happy, accusing the show’s producers of perpetuating offensive stereotypes.

I was enjoying king in the land until they decided to show that lousy guy as an “Arab”.

— Khadijah Mahuta Esq (@MrsMatawalle) July 11, 2023

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On top of that, the Arab character was being played by an Indian actor, Anupam Tripathi. Hiring an Indian actor to play an Arab character also raised eyebrows.

King the land was such a good romcom series before ep7… like really do we still have to do these “arab” stereotypes not even talking about them casting an Indian actor as an Arab or the clothes….

— Nano (@selbyulie) July 8, 2023

‘King the Land’ is a big hit on Netflix. It was even the second-most-watched show on the platform in Saudi Arabia and the UAE before the controversy hit.

When the backlash hit, the show’s creators defended themselves, insisting they had no intention of mocking or distorting any specific culture. They claimed to respect various cultures and promised to be more attentive in future productions.

 

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