Israeli Television Makes Waves Abroad
By Jake Benglesdorf
In the past few years, Israel’s exports to the United States have moved beyond the tech space and entered headfirst into Hollywood. While the Israeli world of television faces minimal audiences and little funding, they have created some of the most engaging and original series of the past decade. From Israeli series like Fauda, Tehran, and Shtisel to American adaptations of Israeli shows like Euphoria, Homeland, and The ‘A’ Word, the world of entertainment is looking to Israel for content and sources of inspiration like never before.
A prime and early example of an Israeli TV show becoming a global hit was the series Shtisel. It was an Israeli television series that follows a Haredi family in an ultra-orthodox neighborhood of Jerusalem. While nothing about this logline screams international appeal (there were no sex scenes or car chases), it was a brilliantly written series that allows the viewer to peer into a hidden world. What made Shtisel even more unique was its exposure to a global audience, a market previously unreached by Israeli television. This burgeoning Israeli television industry became a cultural commodity in the United States, with Hollywood seeing dozens of Israeli or Israeli-influenced shows hit the screens.
Israel has also exported a number of its shows to American audiences in English revisions, the most notable of which is Euphoria. Adaptations are not uncommon in the industry, with famous examples including The Office and American Idol. On the surface, Israel appears to be an obscure pipeline for this content. It has a small population, little money in the entertainment industry, and had only one television channel until 1993. However, these limiting conditions bred creativity in the entertainment industry, especially when up against subtitled American shows. This environment has allowed the Israeli shows to take risks with more freedom than possible in Hollywood, and proven success in Israel is often a precursor to future success in the American arena.
Another staple of Israeli’s Television exports is Homeland, originally an Israeli TV show called Hatufim. The Israeli show was inspired by the stories of captured Israeli soldiers. Their tales were gripping to the Israeli public, and writer Gideon Raff wanted to grapple with and analyze the relationship of Israel with its captured soldiers. Hatufim went through some slight alterations for American audiences, revolving instead around a C.I.A. operative dealing with many of the same issues. The writers of Hatufim also credit their financial limitations as a source for their brilliant shows. A small budget required the show to rely on captivating plots and sharp writing, with Raff saying, “the emphasis gets placed on the quality of writing and dialogue — transferable things — rather than on big-name actors or elaborate set designs.”
This past year, a conference called “Scripted Israel” assembled a number of Israeli and American television executives and creatives for a four-day learning and networking experience. It was hosted by the Israeli Producers Association, and served as the first official envoy of Israeli television inspiration. The event was hosted by the Consulate General of Israel, the Director of Film & TV in North America, and the Sam Spiegal Series Lab. The conference provided an organized gathering for American media executives to receive Israeli talent, with some of the biggest players including Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV, and Sony present. While nothing develops in the entertainment industry immediately, participants claim that the meeting formed a multitude of Israeli-U.S. relationships and allowed the seeds of a fruitful venture to be planted.
The Israeli government has also been wise to these partnerships, introducing legislation that will change the media landscape in Israel and abroad forever. This past year, the Communications Ministry has spoken about requiring streaming networks like Disney Plus and Netflix to invest in Israeli content if they want to profit off of Israeli subscribers. Conditions of the proposed legislation include a reinvestment of subscription profits into the Israeli production industry. More requirements include that any media receiving investments must promote Israeli culture and or feature Hebrew content. The legislation goes further to stipulate that a certain percentage of any investments into Israeli production cannot be given to existing partners. A portion must be invested in new players.
The entertainment industry in Israel is about to go through a massive transformation, due to both internal legislation and external demand for Israeli content. As the industry becomes increasingly globalized through ease of access to streaming and subtitles, foreign content is becoming more popular than ever. Israeli producers and government officials are running to organize official bodies to serve as conduits for all the incoming business, hopefully establishing an enduring operation, branching Israeli culture and the global audience.
