For those who want it, bringing a child into this world is perhaps the most tense, dramatic and profound experience of a lifetime. The tears, the fears and the exultations of pregnancy and birth – and of those first months of parenthood – bowled me over in a way that I didn’t even know was possible. And yet for something that has so much power and potential, there have been few TV shows that really harness and centre the drama of that process in the service of good storytelling.
I’ve certainly never seen a show that does it as well as the surrogacy drama . , whose first season aired in Israel in early 2023, made it to the top 10 most streamed shows on US Netflix worldwide last month, and for good reason. The show features the creme de la creme of Israeli actors, including star Lior Raz, and is directed and co-created by Shai Capon (cousin of actor Tomer Capon), a man behind some of the best shows in the history of Israeli television.
Its co-creators, Shira Hadad and Dror Mishali, are both literary prodigies who have worked with the likes of Sayed Kashua and Amos Oz, and have collaborated on a couple of international TV projects. And yet it is not just excellent Israeli TV – it’s one of the best shows on Netflix right now, period. The Hebrew name of the show is , meaning “third person”, which is apt for the story of three people.
There’s Elie, a successful and perennially busy book editor played by Rotem Sela ( ) who has struggled with years of infertility tr.