# Arabian Nights (2000)

> A condemned storyteller spins fantastic tales to delay her execution by a cruel sultan.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/19058

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 2
- Episode runtime: 175 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: fantasy, adventure, romance
- Created by: Peter Barnes
- Network: ABC, BBC One
- Cast: Mili Avital, Alan Bates, James Frain, Rufus Sewell, Tchéky Karyo, Dougray Scott, Jason Scott Lee, Vanessa-Mae
- TMDB rating: 7.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181199/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: whimsical, romantic, adventurous, playful, lush

## What critics say

Critics broadly received the miniseries positively, admiring its lavish fantastical storytelling and ensemble performances.

## Synopsis

Arabian Nights (2000) is a US and British co-produced fantasy miniseries created by Peter Barnes for ABC and BBC One. Mili Avital plays Scheherezade, a bride who must hold off a murderous sultan, played by Dougray Scott, with a chain of fantastic tales before the next full moon. Alan Bates appears as the Storyteller, while James Frain, Rufus Sewell and Jason Scott Lee take on figures from the stories, and John Leguizamo voices the mischievous Genie of the Lamp and Genie of the Ring. The engine of the miniseries is simple and urgent: each night her survival depends on holding the sultan's attention, and each tale pulls in a new adventure, from thieves and quests to wish-granting magic. Told across two long episodes, it is a single continuing story rather than a case-of-the-week format. Set in a lavish, legendary ancient Middle East, it blends romance, court intrigue and playful adventure in a warm, colorful register. Its nested storytelling, with a frame that keeps returning to the palace, recalls the spirit of the classic folk collection. Fans of The Adventures of Sinbad, The Thief of Bagdad and Xena: Warrior Princess will find resonance in its costume spectacle and mythic adventure.

## Shows like Arabian Nights

- [The Cave of the Golden Rose (1991)](https://ember.film/tv/5734)
- [The Storyteller (1988)](https://ember.film/tv/5030)
- [Sindbad the Sailor (1975)](https://ember.film/tv/19527)
- [Casanova (2005)](https://ember.film/tv/10386)
- [My Lady Jane (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/126406)
- [Helen of Troy (2003)](https://ember.film/tv/5559)
- [The Adventures of Sinbad (1996)](https://ember.film/tv/1737)
- [Marco Polo (1982)](https://ember.film/tv/6050)
- [Stories by Rabindranath Tagore (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/59078)
- [Alice (2009)](https://ember.film/tv/30796)

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