Television! You love it, we love it. We especially love if it’s Israeli and, even better, if it stars Michael Aloni. Open Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO, Showtime or Hulu and you can find a plethora of great Israeli shows like “Fauda,” “When Heroes Fly” and “Shtisel,” or American adaptations of Israeli shows including “Homeland” and “In Treatment.”

Shayna Weiss (Courtesy photo)
Shayna Weiss (Courtesy photo)

If, like us, you’re a non-casual viewer of Israeli TV in the United States, it all seems to be happening so fast, and with so many quality choices. What’s behind the abundance of ridiculously good television emerging from the Holy Land?

In this episode, Miriam and Dan sit down with Israeli pop culture expert Shayna Weiss from the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University. They chat about the history and impact of the Israeli television industry in today’s binge-focused world, and how TV can help us gain a greater understanding of the different aspects of Israeli society. Plus she tells us what we should all watch next!

Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.