The year started off well with many big TV premieres, including a few with Jewish stars and storylines.
From the return of an excellent Israeli spy drama to that of our favorite fictional Jewish doctor to a sweeping ode to Mel Brooks, here’s all the Jewish TV coming this January:
January 6: “Best Cure” (Fox)
This adaptation of the British series “Doc Martin” stars Josh Charles as Dr. Martin Best, who leaves Boston to open a private practice in the small East Coast fishing village where he vacationed as a child. Even though the premise doesn’t seem very Jewish (apart from, maybe, the Boston doctor thing?), Charles, who we know as Will Gardner on “The Good Wife,” is Jewish, and, well, having another swoon-worthy Jewish actor playing a doctor on TV seems remarkable.
Evaluation of Judaism: 0.25/4 canape potato latkes.
January 8: “The Pitt” (HBO Max)
Speaking of swoon-worthy Jewish doctors, Noah Wyle’s Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch is back for the second season of “The Pitt.” Last year, he wowed us as a responsible and conscientious leader of a Pittsburgh emergency department. We all cried with him when he collapsed and recited the Shema in the emergency room. I can’t wait to see what this season brings, although I’m also a little worried about him. Take care of your mental health, Dr. Robby!
Jewish actress Alexandra Metz also returns this season as audience favorite Dr. Yolanda Garcia.
Evaluation of Judaism: 2/4 canape potato latkes.
January 9: “Tehran” (Apple TV+)
Agent Tamar Rabinyan is finally back in the Persian capital and on our screens with season 3 of the excellent Israeli spy thriller, a co-production of Apple TV+ and Kan 11. The third season, which stars Sasson Gabay (“Shtisel”) and Hugh Laurie (“House”), has already aired in Israel and received rave reviews, so we’re in for a treat.
Evaluation of Judaism: 3/4 canape potato latkes.
January 11: “The 83rd Golden Globes” (CBS/Paramount+)
There are plenty of big Jewish contenders at this year’s Golden Globes, including Noah Wyle, Adam Sandler (for his role in “Jay Kelly”) and Sarah Jessica Parker, who will win the Carol Burnett Award. The very Jewish Ping-Pong era drama “Marty Supreme” is also nominated in several categories.
Evaluation of Judaism: 1/4 canape potato latkes.
January 19: “Judy Justice” Season 4 (Prime Video)
If you can’t get enough of Judge Judy Sheindlin (and who can??), I’m happy to announce that she will be returning for another season of “Judy Justice” in just a few weeks. I can’t think of a better comfort show. (“Judy Justice” is similar to Sheindlin’s reality TV series “Judge Judy,” which ran for 25 years, until 2021.)
Evaluation of Judaism: 2/4 canape potato latkes.
January 22: “Mel Brooks: the 99-year-old man!” » (HBO Max)
Mel Brooks turned 99 this year, and what better way to celebrate than with a two-episode special directed by Judd Apatow himself. The show’s title refers to Brooks and the late Carl Reiner’s famous song, “The 2000 Year Old Man,” to which his son, the late Rob Reiner, also contributed a joke or two. Apatow calls the special “a Bob Dylan-style deep dive” that looks back at Brooks’ experience fighting in World War II and his storied and pivotal comedy career. I can’t wait.
Evaluation of Judaism: 3/4 canape potato latkes. It’s Mel Brooks!
January 27: “Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire” (PBS)
This beautiful and moving documentary airs on PBS just in time for International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Director Oren Rudavsky told Kveller earlier this year that he wanted the film to feel like a personal conversation with the Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate, and it really is.
Evaluation of Judaism: 4/4 canape potato latkes.
January 27: “33 Photos from the Ghetto” (HBO Max)
This documentary is inspired by the recent discovery of 33 previously unpublished photos from the Warsaw ghetto. The photos were taken by a 23-year-old Polish firefighter, Zbigniew Leszek Grzywaczewski, sent to fight fires caused by the Warsaw Ghetto uprising in 1943. The photos were discovered three years ago by his son on undeveloped film. The documentary follows this incredible discovery and the haunting nature of the photographs.
Evaluation of Judaism: 3/4 canape potato latkes.
January 28: “Shrinking” season (Apple TV+)
There’s nothing explicitly Jewish about this series about Jimmy Laird, a therapist dealing with the loss of his wife, but the series does feature iconic Jewish actors Jason Segel and Harrison Ford (who once told Adam Sandler that he was half Jewish, not a quarter, as the comedian’s original “Hanukkah Song” erroneously claimed) playing therapists. Additionally, the show was co-created by Segel and Brett Goldstein, both Jewish, as well as television pundit Bill Lawrence. Goldstein also plays the role of the drunk driver responsible for the accident that led to the death of Jimmy’s wife.
Evaluation of Judaism: 1/4 canape potato latkes.
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