Israeli series reached American audiences through format remakes: HBO adapted Hagai Levi’s BeTipul as In Treatment, and Gideon Raff’s Hatufim became the source for Showtime’s Homeland. Other adaptations include Kvodo, remade as Your Honor, and the Israeli teen drama Euphoria, later reworked for HBO. These deals license a story for a new production; they are distinct from selling the original Israeli series with subtitles. The Times of Israel’s account of Israeli series exports describes both routes.
Israeli stories remade for US television
BeTipul centers on therapy sessions between a psychologist and patients. HBO’s In Treatment brought the premise to American television, starring Gabriel Byrne. Byrne won the 2009 Golden Globe for television drama actor, and Dianne Wiest won the 2009 Primetime Emmy for supporting actress in a drama series. Those awards belong to the American production, not the original Israeli show.
Hatufim follows Israeli soldiers returning home after captivity. Its American adaptation, Homeland, recast the premise as a US intelligence thriller. Keshet International also sold the Hebrew-language original abroad; C21Media reported Tata Sky’s acquisition of the series for India. Israeli creators Shlomo Mashiach and Ron Ninio made the courtroom thriller Kvodo, adapted in the US as Your Honor. Ron Leshem and Daphna Levin’s teen drama Euphoria similarly supplied the starting point for HBO’s US series.
Remakes and original exports
Format licensing lets a local production use a series premise and structure, often with new scripts, cast and setting. The original remains a separate product. The Jewish People Policy Institute study describes both format sales and overseas distribution of Israeli-made programs. That distinction explains why Homeland is not an Israeli series, though its source is. Tehran, by contrast, traveled as an Israeli original and won the 2021 International Emmy for Drama Series, as the International Academy announced.