During Ramadan, many Egyptian families tend to settle in front of the television after the iftar or fast-breaking meal at sunset, switching from channel to channel, to take in their favourite local dramas.

This year, several local comic sitcoms that run in 20-minute episodes, have drawn viewers away from the traditional 45-minute Egyptian television serials, in what is seen as a clear sign of a growing appetite for the light and funny as opposed to the melodramatic family strife of the serials.

At least eight new Arabic shows were squeezed into programming schedules of various local and Arabic channels for Ramadan, which ends on Tuesday. At least another six new sitcoms are meanwhile expected to be aired after Ramadan.

Sitcoms help 23-year-old university student Iman Salama relax after studying - but don't sap her time. "I am not obliged to follow every single episode for fear that I will miss something," she says.

Sitcoms such as Ragil wa Sit Sittat (A Man and Six Women) with its strong following began a sequel run this month. Many Egyptians are amused by - and can identify with - the lives of the lead character, his young daughter, his mother, unmarried sister, penniless mother- in-law and his wife's teenage sister, all living in one apartment.

"The funny situations arise from the women always at odds with each other; and the spouse and mother-in-law clash," says Salama.

Egyptian sitcoms kicked off in 2000 with Shabab Online (Youth Online), an imitation of the famous American show Friends. Although not very successful, Shabab Online was relatively well-received and moved into a second season.

Tamer & Shawqeya, which became a hit during Ramadan two years ago, is in its third season. The sitcom looks at the cultural gap between Tamer, the young well-educated lawyer from a high-class family and Shawqeya, his low-class and not-so-well-educated wife, which fuels the comedy.

This year, several new sitcoms, including el-Eyada (The Clinic), that centres around the lives of three doctors, have grabbed television viewers' attention, shaking things up a bit on the sitcom scene.

"While acting like comic relief in people's lives, sitcoms have also share the fast pace of their days," says leading Egyptian television critic Magda Mouris.

"This is why this genre appeals to many people now, despite the fact that it has been known in the West for so many years," she told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

The sitcom boom has had its benefits for Egypt's film scene, providing opportunities for actors, writers and directors who might otherwise not have made it to the small screen.

"Producers are not afraid to hire young talents because the production cost of sitcoms is small," she said.

The large number of sitcoms produced in Egypt has had its drawbacks, however, says Mouris. There has been a decline in the quality of more than one sitcom this year.