The main characters bear a close resemblance to those on the American shows of the same name, but the acting and storylines do not compare.
Israel also has its own versions of “Survivor,” “The Tonight Show,”,and “American Idol” among others.
“Hot” and “Yes” (not exactly Hebrew names) are TV companies that service Israel. Even my cell phone company has a bizarre name —”Orange.” There are more American shows on Israeli TV than Israeli shows.
All shows have Hebrew subtitles, but many also have Arabic or Russian subtitles.
Since Israel is the melting pot for people from countries throughout the world, “Hot” and “Yes” must cater to varied tastes.
I have seen TV shows from America, England, France, Germany, Australia, Tunisia, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Italy, India, Spain, Russia, Denmark, China, and Egypt. However, most of the shows are a few years old or at least several episodes behind what is seen everywhere else.
The only shows up to date are news channels such as Fox News, CNN, Sky News, MSNBC, CNBC, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, France TV, sports shows like ESPN, the various soccer leagues, and of course, Israel's own TV shows.
Movie channels feature black and white classics from as far back as the 1940s to cinema releases as recent as two years ago. Since I have not been to the movies in years, everything is “new” to me. Certain days of the week will feature films from specific countries rather than varying the fare throughout the week.
Almost as if I Never Left Home
I rarely used to watch TV, except for various news stations. But in Israel I have become an avid channel surfer with my remote control at my fingertips. As I flip through shows like E.R., Oprah, Ellen, Friends, CSI, NCIS, Cold Case, “24,” Dr. Phil, House M.D., JAG, Dream On, Chuck, Seinfeld, Days of Our Lives, One Life To Live, The O.C., Law and Order, Ugly Betty, Brothers and Sisters, the Food Channel, and the Israeli version of Home Shopping, I feel as though I never left the U.S.
The shows I most enjoy, however, originate in Australia.
Last season, one of the most popular Israeli TV shows was a reality show featuring several people of different ages and backgrounds living together in a house of cameras running 24 hours a day. I could not understand why the Israeli public fell in love with this show. Every time I “surfed” onto it, the cameras were busy recording people sleeping!
Once in a while they would do chores like taking out the garbage. Definitely not my idea of excitement or fascinating conversation. But, Israelis were glued to their TV sets.
Israeli TV is definitely not “hot,” no matter what it calls itself. Yet, I have learned about different cultures because of all the shows offered to Israelis from so many different nations. I have also learned that media coverage of a specific event differs according to the particular bias of the country reporting it.
This becomes so evident when flipping from channel to channel on Israeli TV. The citizens of the world only get to see what their country wants them to see. However, Israelis enjoy the freedom of observing events from various points of view and in several languages.
L'hitraot. Shachar
Shachar is the Hebrew name of a California-based attorney and former Los Angeles County deputy sheriff who moved to Israel two years ago.