Tahir’s House Netflix Series Review - The Actors are Charming But Lacks Humor

In Tahir's House, we hear discussions related to adult topics like family planning and finances. Youssef (Alhashimi Alfaisal) wants to have children, but his wife, Aida, first wants her husband to get a job. "Love alone doesn't pay bills," she says to him at one point. Aida might just be one of the most sensible wives in a TV show ever. Unfortunately, she's stuck in a series that doesn't care about things like smartness. Sure, Tahir's House is a comedy, and it deserves to be silly for the sake of amusement. However, you need to be witty to crack solid jokes. What Tahir's House gives us in the name of humor is things like a bimbo fashion designer who is referred to as an idiot by the time we reach the final episode. She also shoots a dumb video that creates serious problems for the characters. It doesn't make sense, but Tahir's House isn't interested in being sensible. After all, not everybody can be Aida. (Note: Since the end credits are not in English, I didn't get the names of all the actors).

The series follows the titular family who devise a plan to boost their business. No, that's not accurate. It's Youssef who comes up with a plan to change his family's fish store into a medical shop. The idea emerges when he learns about Habsa, an herbal medicine that can make an old man young - in terms of sex. Sounds like Viagra, right? Anyway, since it's herbal, it doesn't have side effects. Yet, when Youssef's father, Jumaa (Mohammed Bakhash), drinks one whole packet of Habsa, he collapses during his wedding night and finds himself in the hospital. I guess anything, no matter how herbal, can prove to be harmful if consumed in excess.

Youssef, at first, tries to convince his father about the Habsa project. Turns out, the kids cannot easily influence the patriarch. Youssef then takes the twisted route to accomplish his mission. He asks another man to sway Jumaa and even stops his brother-in-law from purchasing the shop. Youssef thinks his idea can work and does everything he can to turn people towards his side. As a result, Youssef ends up making multiple business partners.

One of them is the aforementioned fashion designer named Leen. Leen is in love with Karim (Mohammed Alfaraa), Youssef's best friend, and he's the reason why she excitedly gets on board with Youssef. She even sets up a meeting with her uncle, who can give them the license to sell Habsa. In the blink of an eye, Leen and Karim's relationship goes from one-sided to something serious. Initially, Karim finds the fashion designer clingy, and then, in one of the episodes, he suddenly becomes attracted to her. What happened? The show just sweetly and quickly wraps up the thread as if it's unsure about its future. This occurs despite the promise of a second season.

No wonder this first season comes across like a test, an experiment to see if something like this could work. It would have been nice if it had been launched with some bite. The scenes are so light they refuse to stay with you for a long time. At one point in the show, Leen decides to teach the Tahir family a lesson so they would stop treating Karim as an insignificant servant. But her plan leads to nowhere significant. In fact, everything is blithely resolved through a minor confrontation. Moreover, I am still unsure why Grandma Lutfia (Naimah Ahmed) is so irritated by Jumaa's second wife. This irritation doesn't give rise to any funny moments.

Thankfully, the actors are charming and keep things watchable. But even their charm cannot cover the fact that Tahir's House is ultimately bland and forgettable. It's so safe and innocuous that it fails to leave a strong impression on us.

Final Score- [4.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times