Shows about Nazis, Franz Kafka, Jewish hotties and Jewish fashion icons — oh my! There’s lots of really exciting Jewish and Jew-ish TV coming this June. Here are some shows to put on your watch list for this first month of summer.
June 5: “Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial” (Netflix)
June 6: “Kafka” (ChaiFlicks)
Did you know that this year marks the 100th anniversary of Franz Kafka’s death? What better way to honor the iconic Jewish writer than to watch this truly excellent six-part series airing on ChaiFlicks. Not only is it a masterfully crafted show in every way, it also fully leans into Kafka’s Jewish identity and how it influenced his life and work — from his evolving relationship with Zionism to his passion for Yiddish theater, to his relationship with his austere Jewish father and the Jewish circle of authors that he was part of, including Max Brod, the man who escaped Prague to Tel Aviv with a suitcase full of Kafka’s writing a few months before the start of WWII. It truly embodies the spirit of Kafka’s work in every way: haunting, dark, lurid, lonely, but also deeply human and so very funny.
June 12: “Presumed Innocent” (Apple TV+)
Our favorite Russ & Daughters tie dye-wearing hunk, Jake Gyllenhaal, is about to star in his first TV show in which he will play Rusty Sabich (no relation to the sandwich), a prosecutor who becomes a suspect in the murder of his colleague. The show is directed by David E. Kelley and based on a book by Jewish crime author Scott Turow. The show also features a Jewish character, defense attorney Alejandro “Sandy” Stern, who ended up being the hero of another Turow book, “The Burden of Proof.” (Raul Julia plays Stern in the 1990 film adaptation of “Presumed Innocent.”)
Turow told the Jewish Chronicle that Stern was inspired by a Cuban Jewish friend of his parents. “I remember thinking that Latin Jews were not familiar figures in American literature, though there is actually a big Cuban Jewish community in Miami. They’re known as Jewbans!” he shared.
June 14: “The Boys” Season 4 (Amazon Prime)
Israeli dreamboat Tomer Capone plays Frenchie in this anti-superhero chaotic show. I’ve previously written about how I think this may be one of the best TV shows about Nazis I’ve ever seen, which has so much to teach us about hero worship (literal and figurative) that remains ever so prescient today.
June 16: 77th Tony Awards (CBS, live)
So many Jewish shows and artists are nominated for Tonys this year, from “A Prayer for the French Republic” to Daniel Radcliffe and Shaina Taub. We all need the musical escape that a night of tribute to theater can provide.
June 25: “Babylon Berlin” Season 4 (MHz Choice)
The fourth and most Jewish season of the German period drama “Babylon Berlin,” one of my favorite shows of all time, is finally coming to the U.S. It’s a dark, sultry and beautifully made period show that is purely hypnotic. In the first season of the show, we met the Jewish chief of Berlin’s “political police,” Councillor August Benda, a man trying to reign order in Berlin’s dark underground, and the boss of haunted WWI veteran Inspector Gereon Rath. In this season, which takes place in 1930s Berlin, where antisemitism is on the rise, Mark Ivanir (“Away,” “Barry”) plays Abe Gold, a Jewish American gangster.
June 25: “Diane Von Fürstenberg: Woman in Charge” (Hulu)
We love DVF! The Jewish daughter of Holocaust survivors gave us the wrap dress and so much glamor and wisdom, and this upcoming documentary will take viewers on a journey through her incredible life story and fashion empire. It’s the DVF tell-all we’ve been waiting for, full of the juicy and dark details of her storied life, enriching perspectives from those closest to her as well as cultural icons like Hilary Clinton and Fran Leibowitz.
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