Next season's 'Fauda' to reflect real news, says co-creator

Award-winning drama series on Israeli undercover agents officially renewed by YES satellite TV, to be aired next year

By Jessica Steinberg 22 July 2016, 9:42 pm Edit

Jessica Steinberg covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center.

When the award-winning YES action drama series “Fauda” returns to the small screen next fall, its storyline will reflect current news headlines, said co-creator and writer Avi Issacharoff.

“The news affects what you write,” said Issacharoff, who also reports for The Times of Israel and the Hebrew news site Walla!. “You can’t ignore reality and you’ll see part of that new reality in the show. If the first season was about Hamas and the territories, this will be something newer and more relevant.”

“Fauda” (Arabic for “chaos”) is about a team of Israeli undercover operatives trying to capture Abu Ahmed, a notorious (and fictional) Hamas terrorist. The show, which was created and is co-written by Issacharoff and Lior Raz, has been lauded for its realism, extensive use of Arabic and the empathy viewers are forced to have for the Hamas characters.

The show picked up six Ophir Awards, the Israeli version of the Oscars, including Best Drama Series, at the Israeli Academy Television Awards in June.

Next season will have some “of the same stuff going on,” said Issacharoff, with the character Doron, played by Lior Raz, asked to go back in with his fellow operatives to “reach the bad guys.”

There will be some new characters and more familiar characters, added Issacharoff.

The success of the show, which the creators are trying to sell to a US network, is a dramatic change for both Issacharoff and Raz.

“We went from zero expectations to a hundred,” said Issacharoff. “It became the most successful television show, the most popular. It won awards, so everyone is expecting us to be as good as the first season.”

The show premiered in 2015, and Issacharoff, a long-time news correspondent, said he “loves” writing the show.

“It’s pressure, but you know, both of us (he and Raz) were born for pressure. We’re dealing with good expectations.”

There had been rumors that “Fauda” wouldn’t be picked up for a second season because of conflicts between the writers, production company and YES satellite TV, but thankfully, the differences were settled, said Issacharoff.

Issacharoff said the second season would be ready around the end of summer or early fall of 2017.