'In Treatment' in Emmys
First season of HBO version of Israeli hit series nails four Emmy Award nominations, including best actor, best supporting actress
"Made in Israel " TV series continue to conquer Hollywood: The American version of the successful Israeli show titled “In Treatment” (“Betipul”) has been nominated for four Emmy Awards.
The Emmy Awards ceremony – considered the most prestigious award in the US TV industry – will be held on September 21 in Los Angeles.
Among its nominations are the two most important prizes in the ceremony: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie (Gabriel Byrne) and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Dianne Wiest.) The series is also nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Cinematography for a Half-hour Series.
“This is very exciting and joyful," said the series’ Israeli creator Hagai Levy, who has been closely accompanying the US production, “but a little predictable too.
"There were very high expectations in the United States for the series’ first season – and they were fulfilled. I also think it rightful that the series itself is not nominated for an award, but I hope that next year we’ll be nominated in that category after an improvement is made.”
Levy is currently working on ideas for the third Israeli season of “Betipul,” while the second season is now being released in DVD packaging offering special bonus material for avid viewers.
“Our concept for the third season is very rough at the moment,” Levy said, “and I hope we will soon arrive at something more concrete, but it’s too early to expand on it.”
Meanwhile, US weekly magazine Newsweek published a long article crowning Israel as one of the leading suppliers of TV series to Hollywood, saying that “as long as Israeli television shows combine high quality with low price tags, it doesn’t take a psychic to predict that more television executives will be making pilgrimages to the Holy Land.”
Raz Shechnik contributed to this report
