‘Shtisel’ Prequel Series ‘Kugel’ Attracts Viewers From More Than 100 Countries, Says IZZY Streaming Platform
Sasson Gabai sas Nuchem Shtisel in “Kugel.” Photo: IZZY
“Kugel,” the prequel to the international hit Israeli television series “Shtisel,” is already a success a mere two weeks after its first season premiered worldwide exclusively on the global streaming platform IZZY.
Written by “Shtisel” co-creator and award-winning writer and director Yehonatan Indursky, “Kugel” premiered on Feb. 28 on IZZY, which specializes in bringing Israeli content to audiences around the world. The show focuses on the charming but also scheming jewelry dealer Nuchem Shtisel, played by Sasson Gabai, and his 22-year-old daughter Libi, played by Israeli actress Hadas Yaron of Hulu’s “We Were the Lucky Ones.”
“When we realized we had an opportunity to be the exclusive global home of ‘Kugel,’ we knew this series could potentially be transformational for IZZY,” Nati Dinnar, the co-founder and CEO of IZZY, told The Algemeiner. “And it has already been just that for us, and it’s only been two weeks. Since we first announced that the prequel to ‘Shtisel’ was coming to our platform, we have seen our subscriber growth skyrocket with people signing on from more than 100 nations around the world. And the best part of this, truly, is that this is bringing further exposure to all the other great films, series and documentaries that we have on the service coming out of Israel.”
Unlike the Jerusalem-based “Shtisel” show, “Kugel” takes place in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community of Antwerp, Belgium. Nuchem is the brother of “Shtisel” patriarch Shulem Shtisel. “Kugel” is set years before Nuchem and Libi travel to Israel, where Libi falls in love with her future husband, Shulem’s son Akiva Shtisel, played by Michael Aloni.
In the first three episodes of “Kugel,” viewers see Libi’s life as she works as a teacher while aspiring to be a successful writer and hoping to get married. She also gets mad at her parents for divorcing and is worried about how it will affect her chances at finding love.
“She devotes all of her energy and resources to becoming a successful writer. But then, a chance encounter with an orthodox man on the Antwerp tram throws a wrench into her plans,” according to a synopsis of the series, provided by IZZY. “Libi must decide whether the path to success for her lies in marriage, love, or pursuing her dream of being an author.”
In the first three episodes, viewers also understand why the show is called “Kugel” and the significance of the Ashkenazi potato-based dish. Nuchem loves visiting a local husband and wife-owned restaurant that serves kugel and his favorite part is the burnt sections. When the restaurant’s owner suddenly dies, Nuchem befriends his widow Pnina Baumbach, played by Israeli comedian Rotem Abouhab. She inherited the restaurant and Nuchem partners with her to reopen the establishment. He finds a new passion helping with the restaurant but also gets romantically closer to Pnina while navigating his divorce.
“Kugel is a show that wants to tell a story — a funny, heartbreaking, human story—to remind us how each person is
unique, a once-in-a-lifetime noodle in the great sea of noodles that makes for one big, brown, Jerusalem-style kugel. A bit spicy, a bit sweet,” said Indursky.
“Shtisel” followed members of the Shtisel family living in an ultra-Orthodox community in Jerusalem. All three seasons of the show were previously available for viewing in the US on Netflix but earlier this year Amazon Prime Video acquired the series.
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