Yes Studios greenlights a dramedy for 2nd season, sends another for UK adaptation
Unlikely relationships between neighbors and roommates’ exes form basis for returning shows
Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
Two romantic comedies are at the top of the list of productions for Yes Studios in upcoming seasons.
The Israeli production studio has a second season order for “Bloody Mary” and an adaptation of comedy-drama “Significant Other.”
The first season of “Bloody Mary” was a nine-episode romantic comedy headlined by Naomi Levov (“On the Spectrum”) and Rotem Sela (“Beauty and the Baker”). It follows two 35-year-old roommates — a university lecturer and a gynecologist – as they look for love in all the wrong places.
The comedic series won the Best Comedy Award at Series Mania 2022. Its new season is scheduled to launch on Yes TV in early 2024.
Dramedy “Significant Other” is being adapted from the award-winning Israeli series of the same name by Nicola Shindler’s Manchester, UK-based Quay Street Productions (part of ITV Studios), with Katherine Parkinson and Youssef Kerkour in the lead roles in six 30-minute episodes.
The original series was created for Yes Studios by Dana Modan, Assi Cohen and Ram Nehari, running for two seasons, in 2018 and 2020.
The unconventional love story about two lonely neighbors in their mid-40s is told through a comedic lens, as they embark on a hesitant romantic relationship after drastic life events bring them together.
Another Yes Studios deal is the true crime-based series “Embezzlement,” for which actress Dana Ivgy won the best actress award at the 2021 Israeli Academy of Film and Television Awards.
The show is slated to debut in the US and Canada early next year on streaming service Topic, which specializes in crime and suspense thrillers.
The seven-episode series is based on the story of Eti Alon, a clerk at a family-owned bank who embezzled the bank clients’ entire savings and capital, triggering the institution’s downfall.
In this true story that gripped the nation, Alon funneled some $100 million to her gambling-addicted brother, Ofer, to save him from debt collectors.
