Just like Israeli cinema, which produces great, high-quality films, in recent years Israelis enjoy more and more local television productions of excellent quality. In this article, we have compiled a list of the best Israeli tv shows (old and new) that are a must-see, if you are a TV enthusiast, there is a reasonable chance that you saw some of the series on the list and if you somehow did not, then it’s time to fill in the gaps.
It is clear to us that there are many more recommended that could be included in our list, so if you have any other Israeli TV series that you think we should have included in it, feel free to write to us about it in the comments.
Best Israeli TV Shows
Ready? here is our choice of the best Israeli TV shows of the 21st century.
Before we start, a quick comment on why we only chose shows from recent years. First, because we believe the Israeli production value has increased dramatically in that period, and second, because unlike older ones, most of those shows where picked up by global broadcasting networks, making it available for viewers worldwide.
1. In Treatment / BeTipul (HBO)
If they were to ask an alien who landed in Israel in 2005 what defines the locals best of all, it seems that the tendency towards psychologism would not have come up. Boastfulness, loudness, the joy of life, existential anxiety, and affection for reality shows would have been received as much more reasonable results. And yet only one series, which included mostly multi-close-up dialogues in a closed room, is responsible for the drip that turned into a flood, marking Israel as a television incubator for quality content.
“In Treatment” created by Hagai Levy, Uri Sivan and Nir Bergman became the first Israeli work to be sold to HBO, which was considered unusual at the time, both for the Israeli market and for the television market, which until then had not been global. The fact that HBO’s luxury flagship has chosen to produce three seasons of the series in English testifies to the power of the greatest drama of all: the one that takes place between the id, the ego, and the super-ego.
Another part of “In Treatment”‘s success stemmed from the way it sat the people of Israel on the psychologist’s couch and did not let go of its grip. It did so wisely and sensitively, without patronizing or educating the viewers. The beauty of the series as seen from the wrinkles of Reuven Dagan (Assi Dayan) and also stemmed from exemplary writing that concocted the damage of the place (Air Force pilot who can not live with himself in the face of killing Palestinian children), with the damage of life and love (which gave Ayelet Zorer the role of a lifetime).
“In Treatment” was and remains a marvel of cost-effective screenwriting, filmed in a single location and thus saving tremendous production costs. It marked the fact that Israelis are fascinating storytellers, and since then, this point has become more acute.
2. Arab Labor
There are so many reasons to include “Arab labor” in this list., which can populate research and academic papers – but before all these good reasons, there is the basic fact: “Arab Work” was an excellent comedy. Before any over-meaning and in the most basic sense, watching it, from the moment it began in late 2007, and throughout its four seasons, was a pleasure. True, it brought the Arabic language to Israeli prime time and did so without apology. True, it placed the Palestinian conflict and its aftermath on center stage. True, its protagonist was a pathetic main character, whose misery was heartbreaking. However, the way it did all this was brilliant.
Amjad is a Palestinian journalist who works for the Israeli media. He lives in East Jerusalem, not far from his parent’s house, and is married to Bushera, a social worker. But Amjad wants to get away from it all. He wants to assimilate into the Ashkenazi, respectable parts of the city and in those exact parts of Israeli Jewish society. He does not just want to be Israeli, he wants to be part of the white tribe, but he is doomed to always look at him from an outsider inferior position. In terms of the series’ ability to say something about Israel and the Israeliness and society established here, he was a perfect stranger – an outstanding filter for the viewers to observe for themselves.
3. Fauda
It is impossible to make a list of the best Israeli TV shows without mentioning the one that successfully broke into the world market through Netflix. Fauda, one of the best Israeli action and drama series created in Israel, has turned the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into an effective action series. The series, which speaks Hebrew and Arabic, presents the conflict in a complex, reliable, humane, and at the same time fascinating way.
The show, starring Lior Raz (who is also the producer of the series), Neta Gerti, Yuval Segal, and a wide ensemble of Israeli actors, has gained fans from all over the world. Three seasons have already been broadcast, both in Israel and on Netflix. In short, if you have not seen it yet, we highly recommend it.
In Fauda, the commander of an undercover IDF unit and his men try to capture a senior Hamas wanted man in the Palestinian territories, and the pursuit takes a physical and mental toll on them. The show was created by journalist Avi Issacharoff and actor Lior Raz, who wrote a lead role for himself, skillfully weaves an effective suspense-filled plot. But its uniqueness and much of its dramatic power stem from the fact that Palestinian figures trapped between the two extremes – the doctor required to treat the terrorist and especially the modern-day boy (Shadi Marai) – face complex human and moral conflicts, evoking viewers’ sympathy no less, and sometimes even more than the main characters.
4. Prisoners of War / Homeland
The series, set in 2008, depicts three Israeli soldiers who were captured 17 years previously while on a secret mission with their unit in Lebanon. The series explores the reintegration of them into a society which has made them national icons, and into an interrupted family life, while working through the trauma of having been held captive and tortured. They must deal with partners who waited or moved on, children who have grown up without them, and parents who have died.
The English version of this show – Homeland – is perhaps the most well-known of Israeli-television exports, and became an international sensation in 2009 when its production rights were sold to 20th Century Fox. The political thriller follows CIA agent Carrie Mathison (Claire Daines) as she tracks a newly returned, and possibly turned, POW.
5. False Flag / Kfulim
The series revolves around five ordinary Israeli citizens who discover one morning via the media that they are the principal suspects of a high-profile kidnapping and are implicated as culprits in the kidnapping. They are involved in a brutal kidnapping of the Iranian minister of defense, under an alias and using one of several passports. News channels around the world cover the incident while broadcasting the footage of the kidnapping, the five Israelis soon become wanted and their personal details, including their passports photos, are shown on the media and TV channels around the world.
The unceasing news coverage causes an uproar in the suspects’ lives and mixed feelings from their surroundings and the public. Their attempts to deny their involvement are in vain. The Mossad and the Israeli government leave them to deal with it on their own instead of providing protection. It’s not long before they undermine their credibility. Later, even their closest friends begin to distrust them. Although eventually it is discovered that they are not that innocent.
The show is loosely based on the story of the assassination in Dubai of a senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, the co-founder of military wing of the Islamist Palestinian group Hamas on January 19, 2010.
6. The Baker and the Beauty
An original series created and written by Asi Ezer starring Rotem Sela and Aviv Alush that aired for the first time in 2013. The series tells a somewhat unusual love story between Amos, a guy who works as a baker from Bat Yam that still lives at his parents’ house, who happens to meet Noa Hollander, a top model and celebrity International. The worlds of the model and heiress and the baker collide when they meet on a night out in Tel Aviv. They face challenges staying together as Noa’s ruthless agent and Amos’ ex-girlfriend conspire to break the couple up.
this not as serious as the previous shows on this “best Israeli TV Shows” list, but its high production value, gorgeous cast, lots of drama and cute Yemeni Jewish mama makes it a guilty pleasure you will enjoy. In the words of Walter Iuzzolino, who selects free streaming shows for Channel 4 in Britain: “If TV is a drug, then this is an addictive, delicious medicine that’s guaranteed to make you feel better.”
7. Shtisel
Along with groundbreaking series such as Fauda, which dealt with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there are also equally groundbreaking Israeli series that deal with the ultra-Orthodox community. The series ‘Shtisel’, starring veteran actor Dov Glickman, broke viewing records and was devoutly watched by secular and religious and ultra-Orthodox viers alike.
The series describes with credibility and emotion the life of a community that is unfamiliar to most secular people. Screenwriter and director Alon Singman has created an exciting and touching series, starring Glickman, Michael Aloni, Sasson Gabay, Ayelet Zorer and others. The success of the first season, in 2013, led to the filming of another season, which aired in 2016. The creators of the series said that they hope that another season will be produced, the third in a row.
Shtisel is a window into the world of ultra-Orthodox Jewry in Israel, examining the feelings, thoughts and everyday realities of those who have been born into world of profound spirituality, rules and roles that they are meant to dutifully fulfill. A fascinating and thought-provoking fictitious tale of a real-life closed off community, this series — which has now had its two seasons picked up by Netflix — is thoroughly interesting and poignant to watch.
8. On the Spectrom
The show follows the life of three roommates in their 20s with autism living together in an assisted-living apartment in Ramat Gan.
It is safe to say that this is the best Israeli TV show of the last decade. The great script, the masterful acting (of everyone who is seen on screen) and the sensitive, delicate and clever direction makes this show a real diamond, huge and shining in glamorous solitude. This is the next generation of a different, more complete and interesting presence of people with autism on screen. Miraculously, “On the Spectrum” has managed to differentiate and specialize in an age where television in the Western world has developed an obsession with autistic characters whose uniqueness drives the plot.
“On the Spectrum” is endearingly different, because it is a series in which the protagonists are indeed born on the spectrum and face enormous and even despairing challenges, but it does not have a look full of compassion or arrogance. Simply put, this series says out loud and manages to convince that autistics are first and foremost human beings, and the variety of situations they deal with is no different from what characterizes people without autism. simple? Not so much, certainly not in a society where the word “autistic” is still considered a common curse in the language of school children. brilliant? definitly, as throughout the series the notion that the desires and dreams and struggles of people with autism are universal, and the glitches with reality that sometimes arise as a result of the diagnosed condition can be sad, outrageous or very funny – if treated with the wisdom and sensitivity shown here in each scene.
9. When Heroes Fly
Four former IDF veterans who served together in the 2006 Lebanon War are reunited for a rescue mission in Colombia, where one of them lives, to find Yaeli, a woman once believed to have died in a car accident after the war. this is an emotional series, showing the four men that shared a collective trauma that took its toll on their friendship and personal lives. When Heroes Fly is a deeply profound series that examines PTSD while telling an incredible story of friendship.
The Israeli TV series, available on Netflix, takes place both in Israel and in Columbia and has been adapted from a book and recently won the best series at the Canneseries International Series Festival in 2018. The series will also be adapted into an English version for the United States market titled Echo 3 by Apple TV+.
Other Best Israeli TV Shows?
I am usually an outdoorsy person (just see the many long hikes this site talks about), but this post is being written in times where I really take confort in a good binge. I must admit, some of the shows in the list I didn’t even watch before the Covid outbreak, and in a way I am happy that I got the chance to take the time and do so – and I recommend you do the same, and this shows are not only Israeli, but also quite good in any international standart.
Do you have any comment on our selection? Have you just watched on of the best israeli tv shows and it is not mentioned here? Please write us in the comments!
Where is In the Valley of Tears. Best war series I have ever seen