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Why Israeli shows are booming

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Israel’s film-makers to break societal taboos, and give insight into worlds that would be otherwise closed.The small country has become a real player in the international TV business.



For years, Hollywood has its sights trained on Israel’s TV scene. “Homeland”, the award-winning political Thriller series starring Claire Danes as CIA agent Carrie Mathison, is an American adaptation of the Israeli series “Prisoners of war”. And also the HBO series “In Treatment,” Gabriel Byrne is a self-doubting psychotherapist, based plays an almost one-to-one on the Israeli Original “BeTipul”.

Meanwhile, streaming services like Netflix and Amazon, however, more and more of the Original in the Hebrew language. Whether “False Flag”, “Fauda” or “Shitsel”: series junkies the world over seem to love stories from Israel.

Great series with a small Budget

This raises the question: What makes the series from the country in the Middle East so special? Generous Budgets it is not, at any rate, Gideon Raff, inventor and Director of “Prisoners of war noted” that a single episode of “Homeland” have so much cost, such as the production of the entire first season of the original. It is the stories that tell of the Israeli series – and the type are rather, how you tell it.

“Prisoners of war” served as a template for the successful series “Homeland”

Stories with potential for conflict: “Fauda”

“Fauda” is a good example of this. In the captivating Drama series, an Israeli Undercover chases-unit, Palestinian terrorists in the West Bank. “Fauda”, which in Arabic means something like “Chaos”, shows how gruesome and morally highly complex the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And that could not only one-sided, as one might expect. Israel’s “heroes” do indeed also make use of torture, while the Palestinian “bad guys” are also represented as kind and loving.

no wonder that sword, the series is shot by both sides: In Israel, Ultra-right criticize her for it, to authorize terrorists “human”. At the same time, the pro-Palestinian “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” movement (BDS) refers to it as “racist Propaganda” and called on Netflix to take the series from the program.

Highly controversial and very successful: “Fauda”

“Nobody believed in the series, not even in Israel. Everyone was afraid of her. The people thought they could be very similar to the real news,” says Leora Kamenetzky, scriptwriter for the first season of “Fauda”. “Besides, you thought, no one in Israel would want to hear so much Arabic.”

But it came different. The first two seasons of the “Fauda” were a huge success and have been showered with awards. A third season is already in the works.

Not afraid of taboos

One of the main reasons for the success of the Israeli series is that their makers address issues that are swept in their home country rather under the carpet. Gideon Raff took real stories from the news as an occasion for his series “Prisoners of war”. It starts with the return of Israeli soldiers after years of captivity in the hands of terrorists. “We all knew of these prisoners of war, but no one has talked about it,” says Raff.

Also in the first season of “Homeland” returns to a soldier, after a long captivity

Lior Raz, “has devised Fauda” together with the Israeli journalists Avi Issacharoff and even the main role Doron Kavilli plays, was once part of an Undercover commandos who tracked down terrorists. His girlfriend was killed in an attack in Jerusalem.

Also “False Flag” is inspired by real events, is about a political conspiracy and espionage. Five seemingly ordinary Israelis with dual citizenship, see the Nothing to do with terrorism allegations faced. Their names and faces are to be seen in all the Newspapers and news broadcasts, their lives falling apart at the seams. Currently the second season running at Sky.

“In Israel, the reality is so intense that it feels almost surreal,” says Leora Kamenetzky, the writes next to the “Fauda” for “False Flag”. “Sometimes it feels as if you ought to author they weaken a little, to make it to the TV audience in a credible,” says the TV.

“Yellow Peppers” is raising the awareness for autism

But anyone who thinks that politics is knit is the only fabric from the Israeli series, far from it. Director Keren Margalit draws from their own life experience as a mother of an autistic son. Her series “Yellow Peppers” showing how it’s an autistic child in a country of raising, in which the topic of intellectual disability in the Public sphere is discussed and there is even less support.

As the first foreign language production at all, the BBC adapted the series under the name of “The A Word”. Also, for the American, Greek and Dutch television it is produced.

The enormous success of the Israeli series Margalit back to the limited Budget: “We have as good as no funds available,” says the Director. “So if you don’t externally with special effects and explosions to show off, you need to go more in-depth. Since the true characters.”

In fact, TV are only a few Studios in the small country of rar. Therefore, most of the series are filmed in real locations which gives them an authentic character.

Wide-ranging debate on dealing with the mentally disabled

“Yellow Peppers” was almost filmed entirely in Israel’s Hinterland. The series is set in a small village, far away from any therapy offered to autistic children. In one of the most moving scenes, an autistic Boy, played by Michael Zapesotsky is running through the dusty landscape of his homeland. On the back he is wearing a yellow backpack, on the ears, thick headphones. Shortly before Purim, on which Jews dress up traditionally, celebrated the series in Israeli television Premiere.

“On Purim I saw at least 12 people were dressed as the Boy from the series – with a yellow backpack and headphones,” says Margalit. “I almost had to cry because I thought: children in Israel actually think that it’s supercool to be of this autistic Boy. As you can see, what force can have television.”

“On the Spectrum”: Three people with autism want to lead an independent life

“Yellow Peppers” has triggered a broad discussion about dealing with the mentally handicapped in Israel – and led to the fact that even more stations have picked up the topic. So, for example, “On The Spectrum”, the big winner of this year’s Israeli television awards. Three autistic people trying to put their lives alone, to take in Hand. Danna Stern, one of the Producers of the series, says that companies would want to hire since the Start of the series increasingly autistic employees. “The series has really initiated a change in society. It not only entertains, she also wants to convey something,” says star.

Series about Orthodox are in Trend and build

The last great cry in the Israeli TV series about the Orthodox Jews in the country. And also at the international audience, the interest seems great. In any case, Netflix and Amazon already have two of them in the program. “Shitsel” (Netflix) tells the touching love story between an ultra Orthodox and a divorced woman – a taboo topic among the strictly Religious.

“Srugim” (Amazon) is a quasi-Orthodox “Friends”. In the Comedy series six Orthodox Singles are torn between the modern life of Israel, and the Tradition of the Orthodox community.

A view into a closed world: “Srugim”

“For the Non-Orthodox which opens the curtain and gives a glimpse into the lives of the people who are not your neighbors, but you know, really,” says Karni Ziv from Israel’s leading private broadcaster Keshet Broadcasting.

“The Orthodox are part of the Israeli society, but for a long time we had no authors, who came from this layer. Now we have what and finally told their stories. It is as if we had opened a door. All of a sudden we talk about it. As you can see, what can have a great effect of television on our society,” says Ziv.

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