Israel’s super market show

July 19, 2010 - 8:32 AM by · 2 Comments
Filed under: A New Reality, Business, Food, General, Israeliness, Life, Travel, tv 

The Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem.

If there’s one thing Israelis know, it’s markets. Not the bull and bear kind, but the spice, food, embroidered, handwoven goods kind.

The local cable TV show ‘Market Values’ (Shvakim in Hebrew) recognizes that knowledge and has been taking viewers for in-depth looks not only at the rich, colorful open air markets of Mahane Yehuda in Jerusalem, the Carmel Shuk in Tel Aviv and the Acre Shuk, but has travelled around the world to expose viewers to some of the planet’s most bizarre bazaars including Istanbul’s Great Bazaar, Mumbai’s Crawford Market, Bangkok’s Jatujak Weekend Market, and Marakesh’s Bazaar.

The show, hosted by Yishai Golan, uses the markets to present the local culture, cuisine, and musical traditions of the area surrounding the market.

Now, the rest of the world is going to gain from the Israeli experience in shopping in exotic locations. After only 13 episodes of the series have been aired, and the second season being filmed, both the BBC and The National Geographic Channel have bought the series from its creators, Tel Aviv-based Ananey Communications.

National Geographic TV will air ‘Market Values’ beginning in September on its channels in France, Belgium, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand. And the BBC will air it on its various channels in Asia.

“The uniqueness of the series is that it brings to the television screen a bridging between cultures and forges a common denominator that transcends continents to reach a broad audience,” said Ananey manager for international business Sigal Shaldag in a press release issued after the BBC acquistion.

“We’re proud that National Geographic Television has bought ‘Market Values’. It is important in these times that the world see Israel through more than just CNN, and also see Israel’s beautiful markets,” she added in another statement released this week announcing the National Geographic purchase.

With Israeli shows and formats being bought right and left in recent years, here’s one show that’s going to really get around. And soon, maybe we’ll be hearing vendors around the world starting to scream out in Hebrew: “Tomatoes five shekels a kilo!”

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TV’s The Office to open a Petach Tikva branch

April 13, 2009 - 4:20 PM by · 2 Comments
Filed under: A New Reality, Business, History and Culture, Israeliness, Life, Movies, Pop Culture 

The OfficeExciting Israeli pop culture news has reached us with the recent announcement that the local satellite TV provider, Yes, will soon be running its own version of the landmark satirical half-hour comedy series The Office. A full 15 episodes have already been contracted, set to air in about a year from now, with the Israeli firm July August, which was behind the recent success of The Band’s Visit, handling production.

Co-creator Ricky Gervais was quoted in The Guardian‘s piece announcing the project saying,

“I am thrilled and amazed that Israel are making The Office with local writers, directors and actors. I mean, who ever heard of Jewish entertainers?”

Ha’aretz reported shortly thereafter that screenwriting will be handled by B’tipul‘s Uzi Weill and the director will be Eitan Tzur, who also had a hand in that Israeli television export’s success.

When Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant developed The Office as what would become a two-season sitcom for the BBC, they had no idea what levels of universal appeal their odd sense of humor had the potential of reaching. Sure, Gervais’ portrayal of oblivious, over-the-top, tasteless paper company branch boss David Brent was arguably grounded primarily in esoteric British dry humor stylings and in specifically British office culture-inspired mishaps. But the show also managed to tap into the universal phenomenon of “cubicle angst,” and its mockumentary-inspired packaging, complete with uncomfortable silences, helped rocket it into global cult favorite status.

Soon the BBC was licensing local versions of the show to markets outside England, with France, Russia, Chile, Canada and the United States (pictured) creating their own takes. While the US version got off to a rocky start (its short first season was more or less a remake of the original British one, just with some local flavor and accents added), it hit its stride towards the beginning of season two and is now enjoying its fifth successful season on NBC.

It can be argued that one of the reasons that the American Office has been as much of a creative success as it has been is that the writers have allowed for the characters to take on lives of their own in ways that are distinctively American. The action all takes place against the backdrops of corporate booze cruises, office outings to Chili’s (where family members’ drinks might or might not be comped), ridicule of those who count Legally Blonde as an all-time favorite movie, peeking at one another’s high school yearbooks – you know, American office culture type stuff.

Having watched both the British and American versions of The Office for several years, I have wondered many times how an Israeli version might manifest itself. Israeli office culture has its own cultural mores and archetypes.

Also according to The Guardian:

….Giyora Yahalom, head of production at the Israeli satellite broadcaster Yes, added: “We are sure that the universal experience of contemporary office life will speak to Israeli viewers. There is no doubt that our viewers will enjoy the same jokes as their contemporaries in the UK.”

And the Ha’aretz piece makes a good argument that the creators are taking the proper approach, reporting that the show

…will take place at the dreary workplace of “Super Office,” a fictional office-supply firm in Petah Tikva.

….The cast will include a variety of Israeli types – an Arab warehouse manager, an ultra-Orthodox saleswoman and a bitter Russian accountant. The Israeli answer to David Brent, the obnoxious boss of the U.K. program, will be named Avi Meshulam, though an actor has yet to be pegged for the role.

Exciting stuff. Hopefully the creative team will have enough self-depreciating perspective to do it right.

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