Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
The Schmooze

Shabbat Dinner: NBC’s Next Sitcom Premise?

As Jews, we know that comedy and drama often unfolds over the Shabbat table. And it seems the TV networks are catching on.

“The Office” executive producer Greg Daniels is said to be developing a series for NBC called “Friday Night Dinner,” based on the British series of the same name. The British series revolves around the often-awkward Friday night dinners held at the North London home of the Goodmans, a traditional — if idiosyncratic — Jewish family.

On the British version, mother Jackie, is bold and saucy, father Martin is socially awkward, and 20-something sons Adam and Jonny are always playing pranks on each other (while their parents obsessively try to find a girlfriend for Adam).

A second season of the series has been commissioned for the U.K.’s Channel 4. Here’s hoping it makes it over to this side of the pond. We’re thinking an Upper West Side version of the Goodmans could work.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.