Israeli shows on Netflix have carved a unique space in global television, offering gripping stories that mix personal drama, political tension, and universal themes of love, family, and identity. With powerful acting and daring writing, these series have broken cultural barriers and reached audiences worldwide. From heart-pounding thrillers and spy sagas to family dramas and romantic comedies, Israeli television has proven that storytelling knows no borders. This list of the 25 best Israeli shows on Netflix highlights the must-watch series that continue to captivate millions of viewers across the globe.
1. Fauda (2015– )
- Run: 4 Seasons
- Runtime: 40–50 min per episode
- Starring: Lior Raz, Itzik Cohen, Rona-Lee Shimon
- Creators: Lior Raz, Avi Issacharoff
- Genre: Action, Thriller, Drama
- IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
“Fauda” is the flagship Israeli thriller that put the country’s television industry on the global map. It follows an elite undercover unit and juxtaposes kinetic set pieces with the psychic cost of endless conflict. Rather than reducing characters to archetypes, it treats motives and loyalties as fluid, making every pursuit morally charged. The show’s handheld photography and granular sound design heighten the sense of immediacy, while domestic storylines keep the stakes grounded. If you want a series that is as emotionally draining as it is propulsive, this is it.
2. Shtisel (2013–2021)
- Run: 3 Seasons
- Runtime: 45 min per episode
- Starring: Doval’e Glickman, Michael Aloni, Neta Riskin
- Creators: Ori Elon, Yehonatan Indursky
- Genre: Drama, Family
- IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
Set in Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox Geula neighborhood, “Shtisel” replaces politics with intimate, everyday dilemmas: aging parents, artistic longing, stalled romances, and the frictions between duty and desire. The scripts avoid sermonizing; tenderness, humor, and silence do the heavy lifting. Performances are uniformly exquisite—particularly Michael Aloni’s soft-spoken Akiva—and the mise-en-scène feels lived-in rather than touristic. It’s the rare drama that makes ordinary choices feel epic.
3. When Heroes Fly (2018)
- Run: 1 Season
- Runtime: 40–55 min per episode
- Starring: Tomer Kapon, Moshe Ashkenazi, Michael Aloni
- Creator: Omri Givon
- Genre: Action, Thriller, Drama
- IMDb Rating: 7.1/10
Four IDF veterans reunite years after service for a perilous search in Colombia, forcing them to confront trauma they never processed. The show pairs jungle-thriller suspense with a raw portrait of survivor’s guilt and broken friendships. It’s cinematic—lush locations, big action—yet anchored by fragile, human moments. Winner at Canneseries, it’s ideal for viewers who like their adrenaline tempered by heart.
4. Mossad 101 (2015–2017)
- Run: 2 Seasons
- Runtime: 40–45 min per episode
- Starring: Yehuda Levi, Hana Laszlo, Daniel Littman
- Creator: Uri Levron
- Genre: Action, Thriller
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
“Mossad 101” turns espionage into a pressure-cooker classroom: recruits face ethically murky simulations that test nerve, empathy, and improvisation. Twists arrive at a brisk clip, but the hook is psychological—who can be trusted when lies are a job requirement? It’s playful without being glib, and its ensemble of oddballs keeps missions unpredictable.
5. Hostages (2013–2016)
- Run: 2 Seasons
- Runtime: 45 min per episode
- Starring: Ayelet Zurer, Jonah Lotan, Ohad Knoller
- Creator: Rotem Shamir
- Genre: Thriller, Drama
- IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
A surgeon’s family is kidnapped on the eve of a prime minister’s operation, forcing an impossible choice. The plot coils tighter with each episode, revealing conspirators with competing agendas and a protagonist whose Hippocratic oath collides with maternal instinct. Claustrophobic, twisty, and binge-friendly.
6. The Beauty and the Baker (2013–2021)
- Run: 3 Seasons
- Runtime: 40–50 min per episode
- Starring: Aviv Alush, Rotem Sela
- Creator: Assi Azar
- Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama
- IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
Opposites attract when a down-to-earth baker falls for an international superstar. Culture clash? Check. Meddling families? Double check. Yet the show’s buoyant charm and chemistry make familiar beats feel fresh. If you want an Israeli palate cleanser between heavy thrillers, start here.
7. Prisoners of War (Hatufim) (2010–2012)
- Run: 2 Seasons
- Runtime: 45–50 min per episode
- Starring: Ishai Golan, Yoram Toledano
- Creator: Gideon Raff
- Genre: Drama, Thriller
- IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
The inspiration for “Homeland,” this acclaimed series tracks former POWs struggling to reconnect with spouses, children, and themselves. Part domestic drama, part espionage mystery, it asks whether the truth can be pieced together from fractured memory. Complex, humane, and devastating.
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8. False Flag (2015–2018)
- Run: 2 Seasons
- Runtime: 45 min per episode
- Starring: Ishai Golan, Maggie Azarzar, Angel Bonanni
- Creator: Amit Cohen
- Genre: Thriller
- IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
Five strangers become overnight pariahs when their faces appear on global news as terror suspects. Is it a frame-up, a spy op, or something weirder? The show weaponizes paranoia and media noise, making every ping and headline feel like a threat. Slick and nerve-jangling.
9. Our Boys (2019)
- Run: 1 Season
- Runtime: 50 min per episode
- Starring: Shlomi Elkabetz, Johnny Arbid
- Creators: Hagai Levi, Joseph Cedar
- Genre: Crime, Drama
- IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
A harrowing dramatization of events surrounding 2014’s kidnappings and their aftermath. Investigators, families, and communities navigate grief and rage in a series that refuses easy catharsis. Painful, meticulous, and morally urgent.
10. The Grave (2019)
- Run: 1 Season
- Runtime: 40–45 min per episode
- Starring: Nadav Netz, Liana Ayoun
- Creator: Omri Givon
- Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller
- IMDb Rating: 7.1/10
An earthquake reveals a burial site—and evidence that three living people might also be dead. Part metaphysical riddle, part small-town noir, it’s a strange, absorbing genre blend that leans into mystery over mythology.
11. Srugim (2008–2012)
- Run: 3 Seasons
- Runtime: 35–45 min per episode
- Starring: Ohad Knoller, Tali Sharon
- Creator: Laizy Shapiro
- Genre: Drama, Romance
- IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
Think “Friends,” but observant: a circle of modern-Orthodox singles navigate dating, careers, and community norms in Jerusalem. Warm without being saccharine, thoughtful without being stodgy, it’s a window into a world rarely depicted with this much generosity.
12. Valley of Tears (2020)
- Run: 1 Season
- Runtime: 50 min per episode
- Starring: Aviv Alush, Joy Rieger, Lior Ashkenazi
- Creator: Kan 11 Studios
- Genre: War, Drama
- IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
The most expensive Israeli series to date recreates the Yom Kippur War with startling scale and intimacy. Tank crews, operators, and civilians are thrust into chaos, with character arcs that refuse tidy heroism. A visceral history lesson that doubles as top-tier prestige TV.
13. Euphoria (2012)
- Run: 1 Season
- Runtime: 40–45 min per episode
- Starring: Dekel Adin, Roni Dalumi
- Creator: Ron Leshem
- Genre: Teen Drama
- IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
Years before the HBO juggernaut, this raw original examined teen alienation, drugs, sexuality, and violence with unblinking candor. It’s rough-edged and experimental, but the DNA—stylized visuals and a restless moral core—is unmistakable.
14. Reaching for Heaven (2020)
- Run: 1 Season
- Runtime: 40 min per episode
- Starring: Maya Wertheimer, Itay Turgeman
- Genre: Drama
- IMDb Rating: 7.0/10
A grief-stricken family finds fragile solace in faith after a terror attack. The series resists sensationalism, dwelling on small rituals and the slow, uneven work of healing. Quiet, sincere, and affecting.
15. Manayek (2020–2021)
- Run: 2 Seasons
- Runtime: 45–50 min per episode
- Starring: Shalom Assayag, Amos Tamam
- Genre: Crime, Drama
- IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
Internal Affairs goes after corrupt cops, and the lead investigator discovers the rot is personal. With patient plotting and moral ambiguity, it earns comparisons to “The Wire.” Gritty, layered, and habit-forming.
16. The Attaché (2021)
- Run: 1 Season
- Runtime: 45 min per episode
- Starring: Eli Ben-David, Héloïse Godet
- Genre: Drama, Romance
- IMDb Rating: 7.1/10
An Israeli musician relocates to Paris for his partner’s career and spirals after a terror attack. Alienation, masculinity, and marriage are examined with diaristic honesty. Melancholy but humane.
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17. Red Skies (2023)
- Run: 1 Season
- Runtime: 45 min per episode
- Starring: Amir Khoury, Maor Schwitzer
- Genre: Thriller, Drama
- IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
Two childhood friends—Israeli and Palestinian—are torn apart by politics and circumstance. The show is propulsive as a thriller yet tender as a friendship drama, showing how history wedges itself into private lives. A standout among recent imports.
18. Kvodo (Your Honor) (2017–2019)
- Run: 2 Seasons
- Runtime: 50 min per episode
- Starring: Yoram Hattab, Hadas Yaron
- Genre: Drama, Crime
- IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
A principled judge makes a catastrophic decision to protect his son after a hit-and-run, tumbling into a web of gangland reprisals. The premise spawned multiple remakes for good reason: it’s a moral sinkhole you can’t look away from.
19. Autonomies (2018)
- Run: 1 Season
- Runtime: 50 min per episode
- Starring: Assi Cohen, Shuli Rand
- Genre: Dystopian, Drama
- IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
In an alternate present, Israel is split into secular and ultra-Orthodox enclaves. A custody case becomes a referendum on autonomy, belief, and the line between community and control. Smart, unsettling world-building with intimate stakes.
20. Asfur (2010–2011)
- Run: 2 Seasons
- Runtime: 40 min per episode
- Starring: Ran Danker, Oshri Cohen
- Genre: Comedy, Drama
- IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
Four friends try to save their ramshackle Jerusalem home while chasing romance and schemes. It’s raucous, warm, and quintessentially local—an ode to found family with irresistible hang-out vibes.
21. Shababnikim (2017–2018)
- Run: 2 Seasons
- Runtime: 40–45 min per episode
- Starring: Omer Perelman Striks, Daniel Gad
- Genre: Comedy, Drama
- IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
A quartet of mischievous yeshiva students push the boundaries of expectation, toggling between devotion and rebellion. The humor is affectionate, the antics relatable, and the cultural specificity a feature, not a barrier. A bright, contemporary coming-of-age tale.
22. Losing Alice (2020)
- Run: 1 Season
- Runtime: 50 min per episode
- Starring: Ayelet Zurer, Lihi Kornowski
- Creator: Sigal Avin
- Genre: Thriller, Drama
- IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
A middle-aged filmmaker becomes obsessed with a provocative young screenwriter, blurring professional ambition with desire. Neo-noir flourishes and a slippery sense of reality make this cat-and-mouse intoxicating.
23. Juda (2017–2020)
- Run: 2 Seasons
- Runtime: 45 min per episode
- Starring: Zion Baruch, Anastasia Fein
- Creator: Zion Baruch
- Genre: Horror, Thriller
- IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
A small-time crook is turned into a vampire and suddenly becomes very good at crime—and very bad at staying unnoticed. A pulpy, high-concept mashup that proves Israeli TV can do supernatural fun, too.
24. Unchained (2019)
- Run: 1 Season
- Runtime: 45 min per episode
- Starring: Avraham Aviv Alush, Noa Koler
- Genre: Drama
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
A rabbi who specializes in complicated divorces (agunot) fights for women trapped by recalcitrant husbands. It’s a legal-religious procedural with a beating heart, illuminating a thorny social issue with empathy.
25. The Greenhouse (Ha-Hamama) (2012–2016)
- Run: 4 Seasons
- Runtime: 35–40 min per episode
- Starring: Yiftach Mizrahi, Lee Biran
- Creator: Giora Chamizer
- Genre: Teen, Adventure, Drama
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
An elite boarding school divides students into rival houses as a conspiracy bubbles under campus life. Zippy, twisty, and hugely influential—it inspired Netflix’s “Greenhouse Academy”—this is YA mystery with an Israeli accent.
Conclusion: Why Israeli Shows on Netflix Keep Growing in Popularity
From high-octane thrillers like Fauda to intimate dramas such as Shtisel, Israeli shows on Netflix demonstrate how local specificity can unlock universal emotion. These series take risks with structure and tone, balancing action against interiority and cultural detail against accessibility. They travel well—spawning remakes and fandoms—because they trust audiences to handle nuance. If you’re after television that surprises your nerves and your heart in equal measure, this slate is essential viewing. For more context on how international series are reshaping streaming, see coverage at The Hollywood Reporter and analysis at The New York Times.
