FILM359B

Cross-listed with ISRL329B. Credit granted for FILM359B or ISRL329B. Over the past decade, the prominence of Israeli television series has skyrocketed, both within Israel and internationally. In the U.S., Israeli tv shows have become some of the most popular on Netflix (Fauda, Shtisel), HBO (Our Boys, In Treatment), Hulu (Prisoners of War, the basis of Showtime s Homeland), and even ABC, which recently adapted the Israeli show Beauty and the Baker and retitled it wait for it! The Baker and the Beauty. This course will examine through critical analysis recent Israeli television fiction series and ask two related, fundamental questions: 1) what do these shows reflect and teach us about current Israeli culture, society, and politics; and 2) what makes these shows so adaptable and popular outside the country, especially in America.