UPDATE: Fauda star Idan Amedi severely wounded in Gaza battle
Israeli hit television show Fauda is set to return to the screen for an unexpected Season 5, to the joy of fans all over the world.
The TV shows follows the action-packed antics of Doron Kabilio and his badass pals as they save Israel from yet another terrible terror attack. It is based on its creators’ personal experience from their service in Israeli military, and has raised the profile of the unique work carried out by undercover, Arabic-speaking security forces.
Since being picked up by streaming giant Netflix, Fauda has been delighting viewers in multiple locations, including countries with which Israel has no diplomatic relations, such as Lebanon and Qatar, where it reached top viewing spots.
In fact, the show is so successful that it prompted Hamas to issue a counterweight viewing option which, alas, has not been so universally welcomed.
| RELATED: In season 4 of ‘Fauda,’ Israeli tactics come under fire — and so do the show’s heroes
According to Israeli media reports, while Season 4 was meant to be the series’ grand finale (and most certainly looked like it, if you viewed that season’s final moments), lengthy negotiations between the show’s producers and cable provider YES ended with an agreement to continue for another season.
The show has been applauded for providing viewers with a more-complex-than-usual look at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and for giving substantial airtime to Arabic dialogue – a rare phenomenon in Israeli media.
The show’s cast includes some of Israel’s best loved actors and entertainers, such as Itzik Cohen, Neta Garti and Idan Amedi.
Fauda’s great success has resulted in creators Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff selling their production company, Faraway Road Productions, to Candle Media, which is headed by former Disney execs, for a cool $50 million.
It has also meant that the show’s cast has since appeared in other high-profile productions, and that Israeli original content is now highly anticipated around the world (hello there, Tehran).
Due to the way the last season ended (no spoilers, just go watch it), it is yet unclear which characters will return for the new run and what the storyline will be. We can’t wait.
