If I had to sum up Jewish TV in July in four words, they would be “hot dogs” and “Natalie Portman.” OK, so there aren’t a lot of Jewish shows coming to TV this month, but “Lady in the Lake,” the main Jewish TV contender this July, brings a lot of star power, including the “Black Swan” star and award winning Israeli director Alma Har’el. And elsewhere, just a ton of hot dogs.
July 4: “Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest” (ESPN)
Is there anything more Jewish than Nathan’s hot dog eating contest? I wouldn’t know because I feel too squeamish to watch it, but I know it’s a big deal to many a hot dog lover (which I am, especially a Nathan’s hot dog, but don’t voluntarily want to watch people eating them).
July 11: “Sausage Party: Foodtopia”
Speaking of hot dogs, this Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Conrad Vernon show is a continuation of their 2016 “Sausage Party” movie. Rogen reprises his role in the show as Frank, a sausage; David Krumholtz once again plays Kareem Abdul Lavash, a Middle Eastern Lavash; and, funnily enough, it’s Edward Norton who reprises the role of Sammy Bagel, Jr., a neurotic Jewish bagel and Kareem’s sometimes adversary. I am a little scared about this show in general and the Jewish representation in particular, but not as scared as I am to watch people competitively eat hot dogs.
July 19: “Lady in the Lake” (Apple TV+)
Natalie Portman plays Maddie Schwartz, a divorced Jewish housewife turned investigative journalist, in this ‘60s thriller TV show directed by award-winning Israeli filmmaker Alma Har’el, and which Kveller has officially crowned one of the most anticipated Jewish shows of the year. The trailer to the show is truly trippy and I have a feeling that at the end of 2024 it may be crowned one of the best Jewish shows of the year.
July 21: “Snowpiercer” (AMC/AMC+)
In every Jewish monthly TV update, I must update you about good-looking Jews on TV, and so I feel like I should let you know that “Snowpiercer” is returning for a final season this month. The post-apocalyptic show based on the Korean movie of the same name isn’t Jewish at all, but it does feature some very easy-on-the-eye Jewish actors, including yeshiva grad Jennifer Connelly as the voice of the train, Melanie Cavill, Daveed Diggs as former detective Andre Layton and Iddo Goldberg as Snowpiercer engineer Bennett Knox.
July 26 – August 11: “The Olympic Games”
You can bet our friends at JTA will have coverage of all the Jewish athletes to watch at the Paris Olympics. Sign up for The Jewish Sport report to get the latest!
