Arabian Nights
Long ago, the Sultan Shahryar (Dougray Scott) goes mad after his traumatizing near-assassination, in which his wife collaborated and died at his hands as a result. Now he plans to express his paranoid suspicion of women diabolically by marrying a woman from the harem and having her executed the next morning. To prevent this, the Grand Vizier's daughter and the Sultan's childhood friend, Scheherezade (Mili Avital), offers herself to be that bride. Now she must gamble that her plan will work as she tries to cure his madness by telling him story after wondrous story, which include the tales of Ali Baba (Rufus Sewell) and the Forty Thieves, and Aladdin (Jason Scott Lee) and his Wonderful Lamp. Meanwhile, the Sultan's villainous brother is making his own plans, and Scheherezade's stories are more useful against him than anyone could anticipate.
- 2000-2000
- 1 season
- ABC
- Action & Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Long ago, the Sultan Shahryar (Dougray Scott) goes mad after his traumatizing near-assassination, in which his wife collaborated and died at his hands as a result. Now he plans to express his paranoid suspicion of women diabolically by marrying a woman from the harem and having her executed the next morning. To prevent this, the Grand Vizier's daughter and the Sultan's childhood friend, Scheherezade (Mili Avital), offers herself to be that bride. Now she must gamble that her plan will work as she tries to cure his madness by telling him story after wondrous story, which include the tales of Ali Baba (Rufus Sewell) and the Forty Thieves, and Aladdin (Jason Scott Lee) and his Wonderful Lamp. Meanwhile, the Sultan's villainous brother is making his own plans, and Scheherezade's stories are more useful against him than anyone could anticipate.
Season 1 Episode Guide
2 Episodes 2000
Episode 1
Episode #1.1
Sun, Apr 30, 2000 89 mins
A magical retelling of the classic tales by Sir Richard F. Burton. Targeted for assassination by his first wife and his evil brother, a young sultan must marry by the next full moon or he will lose his kingdom. His uncertainty over his newfound bride causes her to stall the sultan with a series of fantastic stories to ease the tension and stall her impending execution. As she spins tales of tragedy, comedy, magic, and mayhem, the sultan learns valuable lessons and confesses his deep love for her.
Episode 2
Episode #1.2
Mon, May 1, 2000 88 mins
As the tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves unfolds, the Sultan realises that the story bears a striking resemblance to to his own life : and could even offer a solution to his ongoing conflict with his jealous brother.