June is here! We are all laden with cheesecake, tired from nights of learning on Shavuot and ready to watch some Jewish TV, I hope! There isn’t a lot of new Jewish TV this month, but we do have the return of Phil Rosenthal to Netflix, a documentary about a Jewish icon that I will most definitely be watching and a show hosted by the one and only Henry Winkler. Let’s get into it.
June 8: The 78th Tony Awards
While Idina Menzel was snubbed, there are some incredible Jewish nominees at the Tony’s this year. The awards show will be hosted by Cynthia Erivo, who played Idina’s original “Wicked” role of Elphaba in the hit movie adaptation. The effervescent Jessica Hecht (aka Susan from “Friends”) is nominated for her role in “Eureka Day”; Jeremy Jordan is nominated for his leading role in “Floyd Collins” from Jewish theater maven Tina Landau; Danny Burstein is nominated for his incredible Herbie opposite Audra McDonald in “Gypsy”; Itamar Moses is nominated for his work on the book of my favorite current musical, “Dead Outlaw”; Danya Taymor is nominated for directing the evocative “John Proctor is the Villain”; and Jewish singer and actress Gracie Lawrence is nominated for playing Connie Francis in the Bobby Darin musical “Just in Time.” (Fun fact: Francis released a 1950s album of covers of Jewish favorites!) Harvey Fierstein is also getting a well-deserved special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.
Judaism rating: 2/4 couch potato latkes, because BROADWAY!
June 15: “Hazardous History” with Henry Winkler (History)
If your dream is to talk about times in history when the human race did things that in hindsight are really, really stupid with Henry Winkler — and lets face it, that is all of our dreams — then The History Channel is here to deliver. This new series will delve into some pretty grody chapters of American history, including “a time, not long ago, when doctors would actually recommend smoking, and when we stored our food in toxic refrigerators, and unknowingly played with radioactive toys, flew down slides that ripped our skin off, and decorated our Christmas tree with ornaments made from asbestos.” And it will be hosted by everyone’s favorite zayde. I’m already obsessed.
Judaism rating: 2/4 couch potato latkes, for Henry
June 18: “Somebody Feed Phil,” season 8 (Netflix)
At a time when the Jewish people need comfort (food!), Phil Rosenthal is about to pull through with a delightful new season. This time he’s going to Amsterdam, Tbilisi, Sydney, Adelaide, Manila, Las Vegas, Guatemala, San Sebastian and Boston. And he’s dining with a lot of stars, including “Everybody Loves Raymond”‘s Ray Roman and Robert Garrett. (I love seeing them zobble the bone of a steak together in the promo, a longtime “Somebody Feed Phil” tradition — my son calls it a “meat shofar,” Phil calls it “a bone of peace.”) I think if there’s one thing this show has shown us through the years, it’s how much “Everybody Loves Raymond” borrowed from Rosenthal’s delightful Jewish family — including the late and great Max and Helen, who are about to be immortalized in the name of a new Los Angeles dinner.
Judaism rating: 3/4 couch potato latkes, for Phil’s Jewish dad jokes and haimish spirit
June 18: “House of Promises” (ChaiFlicks)
It makes sense that this German show is a kind of “The Paradise” meets “Babylon Berlin,” as it’s from the same creators of that hit period show. It is about an ambitious young woman from Berlin’s working class, Vicky Maler (Naemi Florez), who chases her dreams and finds work and romance at Jonass, a glamorous, Jewish-owned department store that’s central to the economic boom in the German capital during the Weimar Republic.
Judaism rating: 2/4 couch potato latkes
June 23: “Barbara Walters Tell Me Everything” (Hulu) Documentary
Watching the trailer for this new Barbara Walters documentary, directed by Jackie Jesko, it’s clear that Barbara’s secret sauce can be summed up in one Jewish word: “Chutzpah.” No one had the audacity to ask the questions she did in quite the way she did and get those headline-making answers like the veteran journalist who passed away in 2022. Walters was Jewish but didn’t grow up in a particularly observant household, though her mother lit candles to welcome Shabbat every week, and she tried never to work on Yom Kippur. She also interviewed Jewish legends, from Barbra Streisand to that infamous interview with Monica Lewinsky, and iconic politicians, covering peace talks in Israel and calling out antisemitism. Lewinsky speaks about Walters in the documentary, as do Andy Cohen and Bette Midler.
Judaism rating: 2/4 couch potato latkes
