Our Boys (miniseries)

Did You Know?

• It won 14 Israeli Academy Awards including Best Drama Series, Best Actor for Johnny Arbid, and Best Actress for Ruba Blal Asfour.
• Our Boys received nominations in the Entertainment category of the 2020 Peabody Awards and the Foreign language category of the 2020 NAMIC Vision Awards.

Premise

The series follows Simon, a Shin Bet officer investigating Israeli extremist cells amid the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers allegedly by Hamas. In the West Bank, Israeli settlers harass Palestinians in retaliation. The Abu Khdeir family lives peacefully in East Jerusalem until Mohammed Abu Khdeir is kidnapped and murdered by three Israeli extremists during Ramadan. The crime intensifies the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, leading to violent confrontations and the 2014 Gaza War.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes reported a 92% approval rating with an average score of 7/10 based on 12 reviews, with the critical consensus calling it challenging and thoughtful. Metacritic assigned a score of 79 out of 100 based on eight critics, indicating generally favorable reviews. One hundred twenty bereaved Israeli families sent a letter to HBO protesting the series, claiming it glosses over the murder of the three Israeli teens and demanding clarification that Palestinian terrorism is more prevalent. HBO declined to comply.

Controversies

The series sparked emotional stir in the Palestinian Territories and received extensive backlash from Israel. Mohammed Abu Khdeir's mother, Suha, said the series brought her back to the day of her son's kidnapping, wishing she could reach into the screen and grab him. Yair Netanyahu argued the series skewed reality and damaged Israel's image, tweeting that it portrays Israelis as cruel murderers and Palestinians as oppressed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the series antisemitic and called for a boycott of co-producing Israeli channel 12, amid his own earlier criticism of the network over leaked legal investigation quotes.