Quick, think about a historical piece of Jewish media! Did “Schindler’s List” come to mind? What about “Life is Beautiful”? Perhaps “We Were the Lucky Ones,” “A Small Light,” “The Tattooist of Auschwitz,” “Transatlantic,” or “All the Light We Cannot See”?
The Holocaust takes up a lot of space within Jewish film and television, historical or otherwise, for good reason. It was an immense tragedy on a global scale, one of the darkest hours of human history. The stories of those who survived are undeniably compelling. And, in adapting some of these stories for the screen, they are important tools for Holocaust education and fighting antisemitism (provided that they are done thoughtfully).
And yet, if you’re Jewish, it can be exhausting to constantly engage with this specific trauma. Sometimes you might want to learn more about different periods of history through media which reflect lesser told Jewish stories, even if some of those are traumatic, too.
If that’s you, you’re in the right place. Read on for eight TV shows, both based on true stories and fictionalized, that center Jews throughout various periods of history other than the Holocaust. Though this list is not exhaustive, it’ll give you a good place to start.
“Heirs to the Land”
Set in 14th-century Barcelona, “Heirs to the Land” follows a young boy named Hugo Llor who is separated from his mother. In order to survive, Hugo goes to live with a Sephardic Jewish family. “You have multiple references to the Inquisition and to antisemitism in recent historical production, but I wanted to go beyond and show the texture of life for a Jew in Spain just before the expulsion,” executive producer Jordi Frades explained. The show is in Spanish (and it’s Spanish title is “Los herederos de la tierra”), so “Heirs to the Land” is also a great opportunity to get in some bilingual TV-viewing!
“Heirs to the Land” is streaming on Netflix.
“Vienna Blood”
You simply can’t go wrong with an odd couple pairing and a thrilling mystery to solve. Based on Frank Tallis’ “Liebermann Papers,” “Vienna Blood” follows veteran detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt (Jüergen Maurer) and the young Jewish psychoanalyst Dr. Max Liebermann (Matthew Beard) as they solve murders together in early 20th-century Vienna.
“As this odd couple find their endearing way towards a successful crime-fighting partnership, the murders of the week sit side-by-side with the series’ overarching plot across two seasons: the increasingly uneasy place held by even the most affluent and well-educated Jews in Austria-Hungary prior to the first World War,” Sophie Brookover wrote for Hey Alma in 2022, ahead of the show’s third season. She concluded, “‘Vienna Blood’ shows us something special: urbane Jewish lives in much of their fullness, complexity and internal contradictions, as people uneasily navigating life in a society that both needs and reviles them.”
“Vienna Blood” is streaming on PBS Passport.
“The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem”
At the center of “The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem” are multiple generations of women from the Sephardi Ermoza family, who are cursed to love men who do not love them back. Based upon the best-selling book of the same name, this series features a remarkably wide swath of Jewish life and culture, from its setting in Jerusalem, both before and after the founding of the state of Israel, to its use of Hebrew, English, Ladino, Turkish and Arabic. It also stars Michael Aloni as Gabriel, the patriarch of the Ermoza clan, and Swell Ariel Or as Luna, the eponymous beauty queen.
“The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem” is streaming on Netflix.
“The Club”
Set in Istanbul in 1955, “The Club” centers around the Sephardic Jewish former convict Matilda and her daughter Rasel, who was separated from her as a baby. The first episode shows Matilda negotiate her daughter’s release from jail after breaking into the prominent Club Istanbul — in exchange, Matilda must go work in the club. What follows is a story of the drama, romance and societal conflict which affect Matilda and Rasel’s lives and relationship with each other.
“The Jewish details aren’t half-hearted embellishments; they are well-crafted, with Jewish characters that are lovable, complex and mostly sympathetic (aside from a couple of nosy aunts),” Lior Zaltzman wrote in 2021. Members of the Turkish Jewish community agree. They have praised the series for accurately and positively reflecting their lived experiences, including the use and pronunciation of Ladino and portrayals of Jewish ritual. The show goes as far as to include discussions of the Wealth Tax and portray the Istanbul pogrom, an organized attack on the Greek minority community in Istanbul that also affected Armenians and Jews.
“The Club” is streaming on Netflix.
“Lady in the Lake”
Natalie Portman’s first TV project, “Lady in the Lake,” is a thrilling and oh-so-Jewish 1960s period drama. Portman plays Maddie Schwartz, a balabaloosta housewife and investigative journalist who leaves her Pikesville, Maryland community behind to look into the murders of a young Jewish girl and a Black woman. The series is full of Jewish details: scenes in a kosher butcher and at a synagogue benefit, conversations about Torah and Shacharit morning prayers, and Portman saying the Hanukkah blessings. It features fellow Jewish actors, Oscar winner Mikey Madison and “Stranger Things” star Brett Gelman.
“Lady in the Lake” is adapted from the 2019 novel of the same name, which author Laura Lippman was inspired to write based upon two crimes she remembers from her childhood in 1960s Baltimore. The first was the highly publicized kidnapping and murder of 11-year-old Esther Lebowitz, and the second was the overlooked and unsolved death of 33-year-old Shirley Parker.
“The Lady in the Lake” is streaming on Apple TV+.
“The Spy”
Eli Cohen was an Egyptian-born Jew (from a Syrian-Jewish family) who later emigrated to Israel and became an agent for Mossad. He is best known for infiltrating the higher echelons of Syria’s political and social circles starting in 1961, until he was discovered and executed by the Syrian government in May 1965 for espionage. “The Spy,” based upon the book “The Spy From Israel,” tells the thrilling and tragic story of Cohen’s life, from his recruitment in Israeli intelligence to his death, against the backdrop of the impending 1967 war. The miniseries stars Sacha Baron Cohen as Eli Cohen (the two are unrelated). Be warned, many have criticized the show as being historically inaccurate at times. Still, according to Lior Zaltzman, “The Spy” is “must-watch” Jewish TV.
“The Spy” is streaming on Netflix.
“No One Saw Us Leave”
“No One Saw Us Leave” was somewhat of a sleeper hit on Netflix in 2025. If you haven’t already seen this Mexican true crime thriller, you simply must. Inspired by a true story, “No One Saw Us Leave” follows Valeria Goldberg’s (Tessa Ia) journey to get her children back after they were kidnapped by her husband (Emiliano Zurita). This includes utilizing the help of former Mossad agent Elías (Ari Brickman).
Though Leo (the husband) goes on the lam with kids Tamara and Isaac across France, Italy, South Africa and Israel, the show is grounded in the close-knit Jewish community in Mexico, where the story begins in the late 1960s. “Jewish life, history and music are painted in vivid color in this show, which is full of beautiful moments and rituals,” Lior Zaltzman wrote when the show came out. “Valeria’s love for her children is illustrated when at the hospital bed, holding her newborn, the women around her sing the classic Yiddish tune of ‘Tumbalalaika.’ We see their love, their sense of community and Valeria’s complete devotion.”
“No One Saw Us Leave” is streaming on Netflix.
“Mrs. America”
“Who the hell is Phyllis Schafly?” Betty Friedan asks early on in “Mrs. America,” mispronouncing the name of ’70s conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly. In many ways, this is the thesis of the 2020 miniseries which highlights Schlafly’s hard-fought battle to steer Americans away from the Equal Rights Amendment and the Women’s Liberation movement. Schlafly (Cate Blanchett) herself was an ardent Catholic, and “Mrs. America” contrasts her with notable Jewish feminist icons Gloria Steinem (Rose Byrne), Bella Abzug (Margo Martindale) and Betty Friedan (Tracey Ullman).
The show also features Adam Brody wearing a terrific wig to play lawyer Marc Feigen Fasteau, so all the more reason to watch.
“Mrs. America” is streaming on Hulu and Disney+
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