The Hit Israeli Drama 'Shtisel' Is Back for Season 3 After a Six Year Hiatus

After years of fan campaigns and a surge in popularity due to Netflix, Shitsel is finally back for Season 3. The first two seasons of the Israeli dramedy aired between 2013 and 2016 to both critical and fan acclaim. The show found a new worldwide audience when it became available in many countries on Netflix back in 2018.

The series centers around the strictly Orthodox members of the Shtisel family, who live in the Geula neighborhood of Jerusalem. 

Patriarch Shulem Shtisel (Dov Glickman) and several other relatives strictly adhere to their religious practices, while some of the other characters are more open to different experiences. The show, notably, does not include any political plotlines, and it often touches on themes of love, loss, and family.

The highly anticipated third season does pick up after a time jump, and fans are wondering if they'll get to see even more of the family in the future. 

Will Shtisel be returning for Season 4?

The significant time gap in between Seasons 2 and 3 of Shtisel is reflected in the plot. 

The newest season takes place four years after the Season 2 finale. It's also, therefore, been seven years since Devorah died.

When Season 3 opens, Akiva Shtisel (Michael Aloni) is in mourning, while his father is finally ready to find love again.

Like the previous seasons, the new slate of episodes also touch on death, new life, and love. 

After years of critical acclaim and increased viewers due to streaming availability, Shtisel Season 3 was officially greenlit in May of 2019. However, contract negotiations and the COVID-19 pandemic did delay production. 

Producer Dikla Barkai said that one hurdle the show faced was that many of the actors had grown in fame in between Seasons 2 and 3. This was because of the show's popularity on Netflix, and because some of the actors had gone on to do other work. 

For example, actress Shira Haas, who plays Ruchami Weiss on Shtisel, earned international acclaim from her starring role on another streaming hit: Unorthodox. 

"They all wanted to be part of the third season, but it’s a challenge to bring them back to the same place, with the same kinds of salaries and production," Dikla told The Times of Israel. "This is a modest series and a modest production, with a typical Israeli budget, and the actors are now much better known, with different expectations and market recognition."

These various setbacks meant that it would be more than a year-and-a-half until Shitsel would debut on the small screen. 

Though Shtisel Season 3 only debuted on Netflix on March 25, it actually aired months earlier in Israel. The third season premiered on the Yes Oh network in December of 2020.

Fans had to wait a long time for a new season, and they'll have to keep waiting to find out if it will return for Season 4. 

The show has yet to be renewed or canceled. Many viewers assume that a renewal is a foregone conclusion, given the fact that Season 3 exists mainly because of fan buzz. 

However, a decision has not been publicly shared yet. 

The first three seasons of Shtisel are available to stream on Netflix now.