Acclaimed Israeli TV Series "Prisoners of War" To Debut on KCET By Jonathan Strum
Prisoners of War, the critically acclaimed series upon which American hit series Homeland is based, will have its U.S. broadcast premiere October 24 at 10PM on Link TV nationwide (DirecTV 375 and Dish Network 9410) and locally on KCET. The dramatic series tells the story of three Israeli soldiers who were held captive for 17 years by a terrorist group following their kidnapping while on a secret mission with their unit in Lebanon. KCET will also broadcast a special on-air introduction and post-episode Q&A with series writer, producer and director Gideon Raff.
The series takes an intense look at the aftermath of 17 years in captivity for Israeli soldiers Nimrode Klein (Yoram Todeano), Uri Zach (Ishai Golan) and Amiel Ben Horin (Assi Cohen), after they return home as heroes and work to overcome the trauma of torture and captivity while settling back into their disrupted family lives. Speaking about what he learned through interviewing a number of actual returned Israeli POWs and their families, Raff, who served in the Israeli military prior to attending film school, said, “I've learned that captivity is a place that you don't really come back from.”
Prisoners of War is the winner of four Israeli Academy Awards®, including Best Drama series. “We are pleased to be able to offer such a high caliber global series that can both entertain audiences with great storytelling and promote a deeper understanding of some of the complex cultural issues in the Middle East beyond the headlines,” said Michael Riley, President and CEO, KCETLink Media Group. “We're honored to have Mr. Raff help us introduce the series and offer his unique insights to our viewers.”
The network will present both seasons of Prisoners of War (24 one-hour episodes) in Hebrew with English subtitles. In addition to broadcasting the television premiere, Link TV and KCET will support the complex material presented in Prisoners of War with an online destination at LinkTV.org/POW and KCET.org/POW, which will include in-depth supporting articles, character profiles and social media videos offering viewers a balanced perspective on a provocative subject.