The Israel Series is an excellent series and if you are looking for the best in television programming then this is the series for you. It will keep you entertained and intrigued throughout the entire episode. This is a great way to discover the country of Israel. You will be impressed with the beauty of the scenery and the way people live.
Shtisel
The Israeli television drama series Shtisel is about a fictional family in Jerusalem’s Geula neighborhood. Its cast includes Israeli actor Dov Glickman, who plays the father, and Israeli actress Neta Riskin, who plays the mother.
There are plenty of matchmakers in Shtisel, and plenty of holy men. But the show also finds universal themes. Among the characters are a single Haredi man named Akiva, who falls in love with the widowed mother of a student. Despite her own misgivings, she helps him start a new job. Eventually, they get married.
Another key character is Malka Shtisel, who falls seriously ill. She suffers a head injury and is hospitalized. When her son Shulem’s machinations put her in the ICU, she’s convinced she may die. As a result, she’s given up her own TV.
Asylum City
Asylum City is an Israeli police thriller set in Tel Aviv’s back streets and starring African refugees. While this show is not without its flaws, it is a solid contender for the best in its class. One of the reasons is the dazzling array of talented actors in its cast. Its director of photography, Eitan Tzur, has a track record of making films with a high production value.
The show’s two main characters, Anat and Gabriel, are a pair of law enforcement professionals tasked with investigating the murder of an African asylum seeker. But their job is not the only thing on their mind. For one thing, their nefarious associates are on their tails, and the local mob has bigger business interests in mind. This leaves Anat in a bind.
Checkout
Checkout is a series that follows the employees of a small supermarket in the fictional town of Yavne, located south of Tel Aviv. As far as comedy goes, it’s a little tame compared to other shows that have made a splash in the Israeli television landscape.
Checkout has two seasons each with twenty episodes. In fact, the show has been so successful it’s been renewed for another season. Its creators reportedly want to see the show make the leap to other streaming platforms.
Unlike other shows, Checkout has an ensemble cast that interacts with one another in a realistic manner. For example, a typical episode might feature Shira as the head of the store, a smarmy cashier named Kochava, and a quirky oafish customer named Amnon Titinsky.
Unorthodox
The Netflix Yiddish comedy “Unorthodox” tells a largely fictional story of Esty Shapiro, a 19-year-old Hasidic woman who leaves her marriage and her community in Brooklyn to live in Berlin. It’s an exploration of a young adult’s search for individuality and the reverberations of religious life in a fragmented society.
Unorthodox explores the enduring influence of the Holocaust on a modern-day young woman. While the film largely unfolds in Yiddish, it also uses familiar language to tell its story.
Shira Haas plays the character of Esty. The actress is a veteran of two seasons of the Israeli family drama Shtisel, and she brings her own sense of authenticity to every scene.
The film takes an unusually long view of Jewish life. In addition to telling the story of Esty, it also provides a window into the Hasidic community of Williamsburg, New York.
In Treatment
In Treatment, an HBO original series based on the Israeli drama Be-Tipul, is no slouch. Featuring an all star cast, the series boasts a few bona fide star turns in the form of Gabriel Byrne and Assi Dayan. And with the production and distribution duo of Joseph Cedar and Keshet International in tow, the show is bound to be a winner.
One of the most interesting aspects of the series is the fact that it will be filmed in Israel. With such a locale, it’s no surprise that it’s a country that has produced plenty of television shows, from the aforementioned Be-Tipul to the upcoming Unchained and the upcoming espionage drama Homeland, to name but a few. The country’s history and cultural relevance make for a plethora of worthy subjects to stomp on.
