Published: 9 April 2019
Last updated: 5 March 2024
FEW WOULD DISPUTE Israel’s place in the global TV industry as a mini-powerhouse. But there’s a common link to most of its successful scripted series that sell overseas: They are primarily thrillers inspired by contemporary local events. Just think of Fauda, Hatufim, False Flag and Kvodo.
Over the past decade, the local TV industry has also hit a sweet spot with comedy dramas. I’d argue that the fundamental difference between comedy dramas and sitcoms is that in the former we laugh with the characters, whereas in the latter we laugh at them. Which brings us to Israeli television’s Achilles’ heel.
In the same way that Eastern European and other immigrants flocked to American nickelodeons in the early 20th century to enjoy the accessible-to-all comedy pratfalls of Charlie Chaplin et al., Israeli sitcoms always serve as a reminder that this is a country of immigrants.
There’s a reason Jewish humor is associated with the United States and not Israel: It’s partly due to assimilation, but largely due to never losing the outsider’s perspective.
FULL STORY In Israel, comedy is no laughing matter (Haaretz)
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Photo: Ortal Ben Shoshan, Yigal Adika and Yuval Semo in the Israeli version of The Good Cop (Ohad Romano)
