Public television is in Israel, as in other parts of the world, at the center of a debate over its very existence as an institution funded (at least in part) by taxpayers’ money. At almost every change of government, its informational, cultural and educational roles, funding model and political and institutional independence are called into question. The strongest arguments in favor of the existence of such an institution are its products, that is, quality shows. Among them – the series. A large part of the successful Israeli series that have been broadcast and picked up as a format all over the world have their origin in the public television company called ‘CAN’ and its predecessor. The first quality product of this kind in 2023 is ‘Aviram Katz‘, an eight-episode mini-series broadcast (twice a week) earlier this year.
The story takes place in a typical Israeli apartment building in Jerusalem. Aviram Katz is a writer of mixed success. 50+ and a bachelor, he wrote a few books of which only about two were successful. For several years he has been lacking inspiration. When his neighbor, Victor Guetta, a physician on the verge of retirement, hands him a manuscript to get his advice, he is amazed by the extraordinary quality of his writing. He decides to publish the first chapters of the neighbor’s (who does not seem to have any literary flair) book under his name. The published writing makes sensation. The story gets complicated when Victor is seriously injured in a traffic accident, and especially when one of the book’s characters, also a doctor at a hospital in the city, turns out to be a real person who disappears without a trace. Crime? Abduction? Aviram suddenly becomes a suspect for a possible crime he did not commit while he is aware of the literary fraud that no one knows about. If he doesn’t solve the riddle and find the woman who became a real person (and disappeared) from a book character, he risks ending up in prison.
‘Aviram Katz‘ is written by Dana Modan – who also plays one of the key roles, that of the police inspector who investigates the case – and directed by Eitan Zur. The title role is perfectly played by Yehezkel Lazarov, one of the most talented and consistent actors of the stage and screen in Israel. It is always a pleasure to see and see again Sasson Gabay, who here plays the role of Victor, the character that sets the whole plot in motion. Joy Rieger, who I recently saw in ‘June Zero’ (also co-directed by Eitan Zur) adds with the role of the curious neighbor another success in what seems to be a very promising career. The series is intelligently written, with humor and gradated tension, as it should be for a series that includes a detective mystery, with interesting comments about everyday life, about police investigations, about the world of books, writers and publishers. The eight episodes of 35-40 minutes each provide a format suited to the story, there is no ballast or repetition as happens in many other cases. If you haven’t seen it already, I recommend watching it. (available free on the CAN website, but only in Hebrew).