Netflix’s new series proves so controversial a rival version is being made out of nothing but spite

On the surface, a documentary series produced by Jada Pinkett-Smith hardly sounds like the sort of thing that would spark an international incident, but Netflix’s Queen Cleopatra has caused an uproar in Egypt.

Shortly after the first footage was revealed, a local lawyer filed a lawsuit demanding that not only is the show pulled from the country, but the entire streaming service be banned outright. Of course, that didn’t happen due to the overall flimsy nature of the legal filing, but a state-owned broadcaster has nonetheless stepped in with a spiteful solution.

Having been so offended by Queen Cleopatra depicting the titular monarch as being dark-skinned, the Al Wathaeqya channel has started production on a docuseries of its own that tells the exact same story from top to bottom, with the notable caveat of the central figure being portrayed in dramatizations by a lighter-skinned actress.

The obvious solution would be simply not to watch Queen Cleopatra at all, but instead a channel with ties to the state-affiliated United Media Service has decided the best course of action is to simply do exactly what Netflix is doing but to its own tastes and preferences, which is petty to say the least.

This is far from the first time the platform has found itself at the center of a storm, but it might be the first time that things have gotten so heated an identical offering is being made for no other reason than to play the streamer at its own game by effectively stuffing its fingers in its ears and pretending Queen Cleopatra doesn’t exist.