The Baker and the Beauty is officially Israel’s most-watched returning drama since 2017, with the season finale of Assi Azar’s 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 Azarand directed by Oden Ruskin, this third season of the captivating drama premiered weekly from 12 October 2021 and continued the trend established by the first in 2014, when it scored the highest ever rating drama debut on Israeli TV (see Notes to Editors below for detailed ratings data).   

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 (behind Prisoners of War).  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.M views to date on mako. Keshet Media Group‘s catch-up platform has registered 28.5M views across all three seasons, with 39% of those views being for the first two seasons. 

Over three emotional instalments and eight years, Assi Azar’s heart-warming romantic comedy-drama The Baker and the Beauty (24×45’) 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 favourite 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? 

The “face” of primetime TV in Israel – having presented eight seasons of Big Brother Israel, Eurovision Song Contest 2019, and current host of Keshet 12’s Rising Star and Ninja Warrior Israel – Assi Azar says, “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.” 

Azar continues, “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.” 

Following its success in Israel, a raft of local adaptations followed – including in Russia for CTC, in the US for ABC (produced by Keshet Studios and Universal Television), in the Netherlands for Net5, and India for streamer aha – with other options and licenses for local remakes in negotiation. Keshet International (KI) continues to distribute the format internationally, alongside the original Israeli finished tape (24×45’). 

Keren Shahar, KI’s COO and President of Distribution, comments, “The Baker and the Beauty broke the mould 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.”