12 NOV 2021

Keshet's “The Baker and the Beauty” becomes Israel’s most-watched returning drama

The season finale of Assi Azar’s third instalment scored consolidated figures of 23.6% rating and 35.1% share for Keshet 12, performing 42% above average rating with 546,000 viewers.

12 NOV 2021

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“The Baker and the Beauty” is officially Israel’s most-watched returning drama since 2017, with the season finale of the third instalment scoring consolidated figures of 23.6% rating and 35.1% share for Keshet 12, performing 42% above average rating with 546,000 viewers. Once again created and written by Assi Azar and directed by Oden Ruskin, the third season of the captivating drama premiered weekly from October 12, 2021, and continued the trend established by the first in 2014, when it scored the highest ever rating drama debut on Israeli TV.  

Season two of “The Baker and the Beauty” was an even bigger hit, ranking as both Israel’s most-watched drama of 2017 and the second highest-rated returning drama in Israeli TV history. This latest season secured average ratings across its four-episode run on Keshet 12 of a 21.8% rating, a share of 31.1% and 497.000 viewers, with 18 million views to date on Mako. Keshet Media Group's catch-up platform has registered 28.5 million views across all three seasons, with 39% of those views being for the first two seasons.

Over three emotional instalments and eight years, this heart-warming romantic comedy-drama chronicles the impossible love story between Noa and Amos. Following a chance encounter that sets up the first season, the path of true love for the superstar and small-time baker is littered with obstacles: not least their hugely different lifestyles, her overbearing agent, both their exes, and the media. Season two sees Noa impulsively propose to Amos, and it seems as if Israel’s favorite couple will be together forever. But their wedding day ends in disaster and divorce. Now, three years on in this third instalment, Amos is poised to marry new love Abigail. Soon Noa realizes she still has feelings for her ex – but should she act on them? Is it always right to follow your heart, or should real life come first?

“Without a doubt, ‘The Baker and the Beauty’ is my biggest and proudest achievement to date. I’m a great believer in true love, and during the process of writing these three seasons, I found the love of my life and married him,”  commented Assi Azar. “‘The Baker and the Beauty’ is a love story based in part on my own experiences, but it’s not a fairy tale. It shows the reality of love - that once you’ve found it, love is something that needs to be fed and nurtured - and features universal themes like fidelity and jealousy that every culture can really relate to. I think that’s why it’s been so popular internationally,”  he added.

Following its success in Israel, a raft of local adaptations followed - including in Russia for CTC, in the United States for ABC (produced by Keshet Studios and Universal Television), in the Netherlands for Net5, and in India for streamer aha - with other options and licenses for local remakes in negotiation. Keshet International continues to distribute the format internationally, alongside the original Israeli finished tape (24x45’).

“‘The Baker and the Beauty’ broke the mold when it launched back in 2014 – Israel had never produced anything this fun and escapist before, and Noa and Amos’ impossible love story captured the hearts of a nation and the attention of international buyers by default. This latest season proves our love for this show is a strong as ever, and I cannot wait for us to take this full package of three seasons out to clients for the very first time,”  said Keren Shahar, COO and President of Distribution at Keshet International.