We finally have a first look at the most anticipated Jewish show of the year: Hulu’s “We Were the Lucky Ones,” which will start airing on March 28.
The show, based on the book by Georgia Hunter, tells the story of the Kurc family, whose members miraculously survived the Holocaust. It stars Joey King (“The Act,” “The Kissing Booth”) as the youngest Kurc sibling, Halina, and Logan Lerman (“Hunters,” “Percy Jackson”) as Addy, her older brother. Hadas Yaron plays Kurc sibling Mila, and Michael Aloni plays her husband, Selim. Israeli star Lior Ashkenazi (“Golda”) plays Sol, the family patriarch, while Robin Weigert (“Deadwood,” “Big Little Lies”) plays matriarch Nechuma. “Translatlantic” and “Unorthodox” star Amit Rahav plays sibling Jakob, and Henry-Llyod Hughs plays Genek.
Halina (Joey King) and Addy (Logan Lerman), shown. (Courtesy of Hulu)
It’s clear this show took authentic representation very seriously. First of all, it’s based on a book by a Jewish author about her own Polish Jewish family’s tale of survival. Both the showrunner, Erica Lipez, and director, Thomas Kail, are Jewish, and the cast is not only mostly Jewish, but made up of iconic Jewish stars and some of the best Israeli actors around, including two of our favorite”Shtisel” actors.
Some other familiar Israeli faces include Moran Rosenblatt of “Fauda” and “Hit & Run” and Lihi Kornowski of “Losing Alice.”
Genek (Henry Lloyd-Hughes), shown. (Courtesy of Hulu)
“I am a Jewish woman and I’ve always wanted to do something in the historical space,” showrunner Erica Lipez told Elle. “As someone who felt like they had a good education about the Holocaust, I felt like I was seeing stories about that period of time I had never seen before through this family.”
Jakob (Amit Rahav), shown. (Courtesy of Hulu)
Lipez said she loved working closely on the show with Hunter, who was in the writers room, and that what she loves most about this story is how it tells the distinct tales of 12 Jewish characters, noting that Holocaust TV and film is “often from the point of view of the perpetrators or from the people trying to save and help the Jews.”
“I don’t think I even realized that fully until I really started working on this project myself,” she added.
Sol (Lior Ashkenazi) and Nechuma (Robing Weigert) , shown. (Courtesy of Hulu)
Lipez also shared that Lerman “has his own personal connection to the material through his family’s story and he was really passionate about it.” The show was filmed in Europe, mostly in Romania, with some scenes shot in Spain and Malaga.
“We felt like we owed it to this family to make it a hopeful, joyful experience behind the scenes, and we just found a group of actors who brought the most incredible talent and humanity and openness and love to the project. And it made for one of the most joyful television experiences I’ve ever had in my life,” she added.
Halina (Joey King), shown. (Courtesy of Hulu)
In first images from the show recently released, you can see a radiant King and Lerman in period garb, and Rahav with his character’s signature camera, a Jewish star banner on his arm. Ashkenazi and Weigert are seen at the dinner table of their home, perhaps after a family Passover seder in 1939, which is where we first meet the Kurc family in the book.
A video released by Hulu features Lerman and King, in costume, sharing the premiere date and a synopsis of the show.
We can’t wait until this dramatic and authentically told Jewish show comes to our screens.
Addy (Logan Lerman), shown. (Courtesy of Hulu)
