Bilingual fiction series, genre conventions, and the economy of linguistic interaction in Israeli television

Abstract

During the last decade, an increasing number of transnational and multilingual television shows have been produced, distributed, and consumed via global streaming platforms. The present study aims to examine bilingual fiction series through the analysis of two high-impact Hebrew-Arabic bilingual television shows, produced by the Israeli television industry: Arab Labor (2007–13) and Fauda (2015–present). While previous studies on these shows focused on the on-screen representation of the Jewish-Israeli and Palestinian population, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the present article proposes a methodology for a quantitative and qualitative analysis of multilingual fiction series. Instead of a linear textual analysis, it suggests focusing on the genre conventions, televisual structure, and linguistic performances that made possible the complex amalgamation of the languages spoken in both series.