Arabian Nights

 This mini series actually consists of only 2 episodes, but each is the length of a feature film.

It aired back in the venerable year 2000, but it can be found on mediums like YouTube these days, so if it peaks your intrest, you can easily find it.

The series takes place in Baghdad, where the Sultan of Baghdad, Shahryar, has gone mad after accidentally killing his treacherous wife years ago.  This now makes him believe that every woman wants to kill him.  But he has to get married by law or the throne will pass to his treacherous brother Schahzenan.  The Grand Vizier is tasked with bringing a concubine for marriage, then have her executed the day after.

In order to prevent this his clever daughter, Scheherazade, decides to marry the sultan herself.  She formulates a plan to prevent the execution, by telling stories to the sultan which might also help cure his madness.  She tells a story every night, ending at dawn with a cliffhanger and refusing to continue until dusk, forcing Shahryar to have her stay alive to find out how the story goes on.

His brother however perceives this as a weakness, and marches his army on Baghdad in order to take the throne by force.  But by the time he reaches the city, the plan has worked and the sultan has been cured and fallen in love with her.  Using strategies inspired from the stories, he defeats his evil brother's army.  At the end of the battle, all that has been seen is seemingly a story in itself, told by Scheherazade to her children, promising them to tell another one the next night.

So, this was a nice mini series, and featured the stories of the 40 Robbers, the Poor Hunchback, Aladdin, the Sultan and the Beggar and the Three Princes as the stories told to the mad sultan.  While the special effects haven't aged that well, it is still a fun watch for an afternoon of benching on a lazy sunday.

Not to shabby at all for a classic series.