Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Israeli politics, security, and economics. Israelis are addicted to news, and because of the ten-
sions in daily reports, they frequently escape to the world of reality television and comedy.
Except for news programs, the distribution of the highest-rated programs in Israel is similar to
that in the United States and other developed countries.
Israeli programming is shaped by lower budgets than are available in other countries.
Sometimes, however, relatively lavish productions are mounted, such as the soap opera
Ra-
mat Aviv Gimmel
, named after an affl uent Tel Aviv suburb, and multipart dramas on the Miz-
rahi immigration and other aspects of Israeli history. Another popular program, airing in the
2006 to 2009 seasons, was
The Champion
, about the lives of a group of soccer players, based
clearly — as the audience recognized — on real people.
An interesting example of how the culture takes in and adapts Western ideas in its own
image is how popular Israeli television shows develop from imported ideas. Among programs
given this treatment have been
The Bachelor; Beauty and the Geek; The Biggest Loser; Dancing
with the Stars;
Big Brother Israel; Survivor;
Master Chef
(
Top Chef
);
TLV
(
The Apprentice
); and
Race for the Million
(
The Amazing Race
). Perhaps most successful of all has been
A Star Is Born
(
American Idol
), which, since beginning in 2003, has produced several singing stars, including
Shai Gabso, Shiri Maimon, Boaz Ma'uda, Harel Moyal, Harel Skaat, and Ninet Tayeb.
These programs generate a great deal of interest and debate over the respective merits of
contestants who —Israel being a small country — are often personally known by viewers. But
Israel also initiates programs keyed to its special interests, issues, and concerns. For example,
one reality show was
The Ambassador
, in which a diverse group of young people competed in
different trials and tests to prove they could best represent Israel abroad. During the Lebanon
War of 2006,
A Star Is Born
broadcast from the missile-targeted north and has also made spe-
cial provisions for religious contestants. In contrast, the local version of
Top Chef
was quite
non-kosher.
In the Israeli version of
The Offi ce
, a British situation comedy also copied in the United
States, the employees of the offi ce supply company include a mix of secular Jews, Datim, Arabs,
and Russian and Ethiopian immigrants.
Srugim
(referring to the knitted kippot, or skullcaps,
worn by Datim), follows the lives of several young Datim living in Jerusalem as they pursue
love and career success. The show has gained a following since that group sees it as an accurate
depiction.
Some Israeli programs have been bought by American networks, including
Ramzor
(Traf-
fi c Light), a hit situation comedy that started in 2008, about three male friends in their mid-
thirties whose personal situations are said to correspond with a traffi c light. Itzko (red) has
problems with his wife and daughter; Amir (yellow) gets along well with his girlfriend al-
though there are also tensions, and Hefer (green) is a playboy. Another series,
Tal and Green-
baum
, follows the adventures of two partners — a cheating husband and an aspiring cinema
director — in a company that fi lms weddings and bar mitzvahs.
One popular format for programs is the political discussion show, in which success often
seems to be marked by the extent to which people raise their voices and speak at the same time.
Other popular shows are pointed political and social satires featuring skits on current events,
