I recently finished the third season of "Hacks" which has consistently been so, so good from the first season on. I would definitely not call it a Jewish show, but let me do some math to figure out its Jewish ranking: 1 point for Deborah Vance being sort of modeled after Joan Rivers + 1 point for Jewish actor Hannah Einbinder even though her character Ava isn't Jewish + 1 point for the third season having a joke about Kayla throwing herself a bat mitzvah even though she's not Jewish - 1 point for having a Christmas episode + 1 point for just being very funny = 3 on the Jewishness scale
Molly - I love your math. I’m a big fan of “Hacks” too (in spite of Einbinder’s pronounced vocal fry) and recommended it as part of a “Top Couples Show” post). This show falls in the realm of “yiddishkeit” and Jewish friendly and close adjacent
Yeah there's just something about Hacks that feels so Jewish that I frequently forget it's...not. Is it the writers' "Broad City" influence?? Can it get another point for vibes?
I think it is. Paul Downs (Jimmy) and Lucia Aniello, his wife and co-writers on Hacks wrote with Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer for years, so it's go with that. Another 2 pts.
I just finished Kafka and Fire Dance on Chai Flicks and both were excellent. "Fire Dance" is a Jewish show as it is focused on an Orthodox sect in Israel. What saddens me is that non-Jews will turn away from a show like this which has universal themes of family, loss of innocence, and non-conformity. "Kafka" is a show that transcends its network as it is an interesting, and intriguing view into an author that we associate with dark literature.
I am currently watching a rerun of "Elementary", while I eat my homemade "Matzoh Pizza" lunch. This older series is not "Jewish" at all (sadly for us, most TV shows are not); however, this series occasionally has a supporting/background character with a "Jewish"-sounding name, and/or a "NY Jewish" accent. SO ~ For "Jewishness", I rate this series a 0.02 on a scale of 1-10. "Plus", each episode keeps my "Jewish brain" sharp, as I try to figure out the crimes portrayed, and "who-done-it". (I am frequently successful!) ~ Cheryl in NJ
I recently finished the third season of "Hacks" which has consistently been so, so good from the first season on. I would definitely not call it a Jewish show, but let me do some math to figure out its Jewish ranking: 1 point for Deborah Vance being sort of modeled after Joan Rivers + 1 point for Jewish actor Hannah Einbinder even though her character Ava isn't Jewish + 1 point for the third season having a joke about Kayla throwing herself a bat mitzvah even though she's not Jewish - 1 point for having a Christmas episode + 1 point for just being very funny = 3 on the Jewishness scale
Molly - I love your math. I’m a big fan of “Hacks” too (in spite of Einbinder’s pronounced vocal fry) and recommended it as part of a “Top Couples Show” post). This show falls in the realm of “yiddishkeit” and Jewish friendly and close adjacent
Yeah there's just something about Hacks that feels so Jewish that I frequently forget it's...not. Is it the writers' "Broad City" influence?? Can it get another point for vibes?
I think it is. Paul Downs (Jimmy) and Lucia Aniello, his wife and co-writers on Hacks wrote with Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer for years, so it's go with that. Another 2 pts.
Oh also there was that joke about Haim in season 1. One more half point?
I think we need a “Jewishness” scoresheet here. I would totally use this for reviewing films.
And isn’t Deborah’s comedy-special-director-of-choice Susie Essman? That’s gotta be a point too.
I just finished Kafka and Fire Dance on Chai Flicks and both were excellent. "Fire Dance" is a Jewish show as it is focused on an Orthodox sect in Israel. What saddens me is that non-Jews will turn away from a show like this which has universal themes of family, loss of innocence, and non-conformity. "Kafka" is a show that transcends its network as it is an interesting, and intriguing view into an author that we associate with dark literature.
I am currently watching a rerun of "Elementary", while I eat my homemade "Matzoh Pizza" lunch. This older series is not "Jewish" at all (sadly for us, most TV shows are not); however, this series occasionally has a supporting/background character with a "Jewish"-sounding name, and/or a "NY Jewish" accent. SO ~ For "Jewishness", I rate this series a 0.02 on a scale of 1-10. "Plus", each episode keeps my "Jewish brain" sharp, as I try to figure out the crimes portrayed, and "who-done-it". (I am frequently successful!) ~ Cheryl in NJ
Watching Presumed Innocent. Not Jewish but Jake Gyllenhaal is and he’s the star of the show.