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For years now, the Israeli television industry has been punching above its weight when it comes to international recognition, with more and more shows being acquired by streaming companies.

Another Israeli IP is joining that list. “Bad Boy” is set to premiere on Netflix on May 2, and will be available in 190 territories. 

Netflix purchased the rights to the eight-episode drama series last November, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2023. 

Based on a true story

The plot of the series revolves around Dean Sheyman, a comedian who in his youth was thrown into juvenile detention. The show jumps in time between Sheyman’s present life as a successful comic and his haunting, problematic past in prison for juvenile delinquents as a 13-year-old. 

Sheyman’s successful career is under threat of unraveling due to unprocessed traumas from his troubled youth. 

The teenaged Sheyman is played by actor Guy Manster, while present-day Sheyman is portrayed by actor and comic Daniel Chen, who co-created the show based on his own experiences. 

Chen, 37, spent six years in various facilities for juvenile offenders in his youth.

In an interview with “Good Evening with Guy Pines,” he said his difficult behavior stemmed from being raised without a father, and a mother who wasn’t always there for him.

“I was hyperactive, without boundaries, and deterioration came in phases,” he said, explaining that “institutions” he was sent to became stricter and stricter, eventually reaching actual prison.

“Two days after I was released the first time, I got arrested again because I got into an argument with another kid and cut him with a knife,” he said, adding that prison “tests your limits.”

Chen admits the idea for “Bad Boy” came while he was in prison as a teen, but it took him years to realize the vision. 

Teaming up with ‘Euphoria’ mastermind

The show eventually came to fruition after Chen teamed with veteran writer Ron Leshem, a creator of the Israeli series “Euphoria,” which was adapted for American audiences by HBO and became a massive hit thanks to its star-studded cast.

Leshem incorporated into “Bad Boy” details of a plot from a story he wrote 20 years ago about lightweight and hardcore teenage criminals imprisoned together in a juvenile facility. 

The former investigative journalist said he was trying to bring that story to the screen for some time but only managed to do so after merging it with Chen’s premise. 

He was inspired to write the story after reporting on children who were born in prison, many of whom reenter the prison system after committing crimes as teenagers. 

“These babies are born into a fate and not given a chance for an alternative fate. I spent time as a journalist covering wars and battle zones but it was this story that touched me the most,” he told Deadline. 

Leshem, who is the series’ showrunner, said he believes that “Bad Boy” has the potential to be the next “Euphoria.”

Cast and crew

“Bad Boy” is produced and cofinanced by Peter Chernin’s The North Road Company and Israeli Sipur Studios, in cooperation with HOT and Tedy Productions.

The show is directed and cowritten by Israeli filmmaker Hagar Ben Asher. 

It also stars Havtamo Farda as Zion, Sheyman’s prison friend jailed for murder; Liraz Chamami as prison warden Heli; and Neta Plotnik as Dean’s mother, Tamara Sheyman. 

“Bad Boy” recently won seven Israeli Television Academy Awards, regarded as Israel’s Emmys, including for Best Drama Series and Best Director.

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