Newsweek asks: Who Exports the Most TV to the U.S.?

Your choices (think very carefully…)

A. Italy
B. Sweden
C. Israel
D. India

You may not have guessd it, but Newsweek confirms that the winner is Israel! I’m not sure the last time I saw a Swedish-based show, so it may not have been a very tough competition. Regardless, Israel is starting to appear in Hollywood headlines by contributing shows such as “B’tipul (In Treatment)” and “The Ex List”. Apparently “too dark” for Americans, these shows are being adapted to American tastes and then produced.

“In Treatment” is a drama about a “therapist and his demanding clientele” , and was adapted by HBO. CBS will be premiering “The Ex List”,  “a romantic comedy about a woman who learns from a psychic that she has already dated—and broken up with—her soulmate, and if she can’t narrow him down from her lengthy roster of suitors, she’ll spend life as a spinster.”

Other shows that are in the works are “A touch away” based on “Merhak Negia”, “a story of forbidden love between an Orthodox Jewish woman and a Russian immigrant” and “Loaded,” a ‘comedy about a quartet of dotcom millionaires”.

Not only are Hollywood studios impressed with Israel’s clever screenwriting, but they are truly blown away by our budgeting skills, claiming that Israelis make TV shows on less than a shoestring budget. Now that is something I can vouch for  - just watch me in the Jerusalem Shuk(outdoor market). Give me 10 shekels, and I’ll come back with 3 bags of fruits and veggies. Hey, I think I’m on to some promising new titles, “America’ Next Top Bargainer”  “Pimp my Agala”  (Agala  = granny shopping cart), the list goes on. HBO, if you’re reading this, remember who thought of it first.