Official Trailer
Rating: 7.5/10 | Genre: Drama, Action & Adventure, War & Politics | Seasons: 5 | Episodes: 59 | Status: Returning Series
Starring: Lior Raz, Netta Garti, Doron Ben-David, Rona-Lee Shimon, Itzik Cohen
I just finished Fauda and honestly, I’m exhausted. Not in a bad way. More like the way you feel after watching someone run through fire for five seasons straight. This show does not let you breathe.
Is it perfect? No. But is it worth your time? Absolutely. Fauda is one of those shows that grabs you by the throat in episode one and doesn’t let go. It’s tense, it’s violent, it’s complicated, and it treats both Israeli and Palestinian characters with enough nuance that you actually care about what happens to them. That’s harder than it sounds.
Season 1
Season one is where you get hooked. Doron, played by Lior Raz, comes out of retirement to find Abu Ahmed, a Palestinian militant he thought he’d killed years ago. The catch? Abu Ahmed is getting married and Doron has to go back undercover to get close to him.
What works here is the pacing. The show doesn’t waste time explaining every detail. You jump into the action and figure things out as you go. By episode two Doron is already pulling his old team back together, and the stakes are climbing fast.
The problem with season one is that it’s still figuring out what it wants to be. There are some clunky moments early on where the dialogue feels forced or the plot mechanics creak a little. But by the halfway point, the show finds its rhythm and stops apologizing for itself.
Abu Ahmed is a good villain. He’s not a cartoon bad guy. He’s a man trying to protect his family while also running operations that are genuinely dangerous. Walid, his nephew, becomes one of the most interesting characters in the entire series, and that starts right here.
Season 2
Season two kicks things up several notches. Now Doron isn’t just hunting someone. He’s got enemies hunting him back. Abu Samara, a guy with real reasons to want Doron dead, is planning something big. And it’s not just about personal revenge. There’s a larger plot that could hurt a lot of people.
This is where the show gets really good. The cat and mouse game between Doron and Abu Samara is tense in a way that feels earned. You understand why both of them want what they want. Nobody is purely evil. Nobody is purely good. Everyone is just trying to survive or accomplish their mission, and those two things keep crashing into each other.
The best part of season two is watching Walid get pulled deeper into things. His character starts becoming tragic in a way that hits harder as the seasons go on. You see the choices being made that will define the rest of the show.
Season 3
Season three is probably my favorite. Doron goes undercover for months to track down Fauzi, a Hamas leader. During this operation he meets Jihad, a young boxer, and uses him to get close to his target.
This season works because it slows down just enough to let you sit with these characters. The months-long undercover mission means you actually see relationships develop. When things go wrong, they really go wrong, and you feel it because you’ve watched this world for a while now.
The action sequences are also the best in the series up to this point. There’s a raid near the end that’s just brutal. People die suddenly. It’s not glorified. It’s just what happens when an operation goes sideways.
My only complaint is that some of the plot threads get a little tangled. There are moments where you have to pay really close attention or you’ll lose track of who’s doing what and why. But that might just be me.
Season 4
Season four takes the fight to Belgium. A crisis hits Shin Bet’s operations and suddenly Doron and his team are operating in Europe. They’re hunting for one of their own while also dealing with new enemies who want to finish old business.
This season feels different because it’s mostly set outside of the West Bank. That changes the dynamic. You lose some of the grittiness that comes from operating in a conflict zone. The show is still good but it feels a little more like a regular spy thriller than the unique thing it had been.
That said, the character work here is strong. You’re seeing cracks form in people who’ve been under pressure for years. Doron is losing his grip a little bit. The team is fractured. And the mission keeps getting more personal instead of less.
Season four is the weakest of the five, but it’s still solid television. It just doesn’t have the same edge as what came before.
Season 5
Season five is short. Only eleven episodes. And it feels like the show is winding down. Doron is coming off a rough season and now he’s dealing with the fallout. New problems emerge. Old enemies show up again. The cycle continues.
I don’t want to spoil anything but this final season does something interesting with the character dynamics. People you thought were allies turn out to be more complicated. People you thought were enemies show you there’s more to them than you realized.
The ending is not clean. It doesn’t tie everything up with a bow. But that feels right for a show like this. These are real conflicts with no easy answers. The show respects that enough to not force a resolution that doesn’t feel earned.
Lior Raz carries this entire show on his shoulders. Doron is exhausted and getting more exhausted with every season, and Raz plays that aging into the role instead of fighting it. By season five he looks worn down in a way that makes the character feel real. The supporting cast is solid throughout. Nobody phones it in.
Would I recommend Fauda? Yeah. It’s not flawless. Some seasons are stronger than others. But it’s the kind of show that sticks with you after you finish it. It makes you think about complicated situations without giving you an easy narrative to hang onto. That’s worth something.
Have you watched it? What did you think of how it all wrapped up in season five?
Episode Guide
Season 1 (12 Episodes)
Episode 1: Episode 1 (7.6/10)
Discovering that Abu Ahmed will attend his brother’s wedding, Doron joins his old team for a covert strike, but the plan quickly goes off the rails.
Episode 2: Episode 2 (7.8/10)
Having tasted action again, Doron pleads with Moreno to rejoin the squad. Meanwhile, Amal determines to martyr herself to avenge her husband.
Episode 3: Episode 3 (7.9/10)
Abu Ahmed leans on Walid to organize an immediate retaliatory attack, and Doron and Nurit go undercover to close in on their quarry.
Episode 4: Episode 4 (7.9/10)
Doron sets his sights on recruiting Shirin to his cause. Abu Ahmed risks his life to see his wife, and Moreno sends the team on a daring daytime raid.
Episode 5: Episode 5 (7.1/10)
A senior Israeli officer tries to smoke Abu Ahmed out of hiding. Ali fights suspicions of duplicity, and Boaz joins the squad on a risky ambush.
Episode 6: Episode 6 (8.2/10)
Blamed for the disastrous ambush, Doron takes matters into his own hands and asks the team to join him on a mission to set things right.
Episode 7: Episode 7 (8.3/10)
While Moreno tries to track down the rogue team, Doron sinks his hooks deeper into Shirin and takes drastic measures to make a prisoner exchange.
Episode 8: Episode 8 (8.2/10)
In the wake of the prisoner exchange, Doron disappears. Walid confronts Abu Ahmed about his tactics, and Moreno’s boss threatens to dissolve the team.
Episode 9: Episode 9 (8.2/10)
While suspicions grow between Abu Ahmed and his inner circle, Doron poses as a would-be suicide bomber to get perilously close to his target.
Episode 10: Episode 10 (8/10)
Doron gets a surprise visitor while waiting to learn his fate. Abu Ahmed lays out his master plan that could change the region’s balance of power.
Episode 11: Episode 11 (7.9/10)
Doron’s bosses give him the go-ahead to carry out his plan, but he discovers the toll his family has paid for his obsession with Abu Ahmed.
Episode 12: Episode 12 (8.2/10)
While the team scrambles to give Doron backup on his mission into the lion’s den, Walid makes a decision that could change everything.
Season 2 (12 Episodes)
Episode 1: Episode 1 (8/10)
Doron joins his old team for an operation to take out the mastermind behind a bombing attack — and who also wants revenge against Doron himself.
Episode 2: Episode 2 (7.3/10)
Tensions rise on both sides as Doron’s team intensifies its hunt and Abu Samara hands Al Makdasi an ultimatum. Shirin faces tough questions.
Episode 3: Episode 3 (8.1/10)
Rebuked by Walid, Al Makdasi doubles down on his renegade plan to exact revenge. Doron goes rogue during an operation to offer Shirin a way out.
Episode 4: Episode 4 (8.1/10)
Nidal’s plan takes an unexpected lethal turn and backs him into a corner. Shirin reaches out to Doron, putting them both at risk.
Episode 5: Episode 5 (7.9/10)
Doron scrambles to protect his family when Nidal gets too close. Shirin puts a dangerous plan in motion. Walid learns some distressing news.
Episode 6: Episode 6 (8.1/10)
Sensing a chance to strike, Nidal regroups and leads a nighttime raid. While Walid faces interrogation, Doron takes Shirin under his wing.
Episode 7: Episode 7 (8.1/10)
Nidal defends his new allegiance to Samir. Captain Ayub blackmails Abu Samara into helping him lay a trap. Sagi’s nerves jeopardize a mission.
Episode 8: Episode 8 (8.5/10)
After discovering Nidal’s true loyalties, Abu Maher joins in the effort to track him down. Captain Ayub and Naor escalate their plan to break Walid.
Episode 9: Episode 9 (8.8/10)
With Doron grieving a loss, Shirin faces tough questions and the team carries out a rogue operation to get answers. Nidal sends Maher on a mission.
Episode 10: Episode 10 (7.9/10)
Worried that Doron is sinking into despair, the team rallies to galvanize him to action. Samir confronts Nidal. Abu Maher makes a discovery.
Episode 11: Episode 11 (8.6/10)
An operation to bring down Nidal backs the team into a lethal corner. Abu Maher makes a heartrending decision, and Captain Ayub learns critical intel.
Episode 12: Episode 12 (8.2/10)
Doron faces a fresh threat as the scope of Nidal’s unfolding plan becomes clear, while the team and Abu Samara move to intervene before time runs out.
Season 3 (12 Episodes)
Episode 1: Episode 1 (8/10)
Doron goes undercover in a risky, months-long operation, but his mission takes a sharp turn when surprise intel points to an imminent attack.
Episode 2: Episode 2 (8.1/10)
The search for Fauzi intensifies in the wake of the attack. Doron goes back undercover but faces heightened suspicion and scrutiny.
Episode 3: Episode 3 (8/10)
Abu Mohammed gives Jihad a menacing ultimatum. A raid turns unexpectedly lethal. Doron pushes to extract Bashar to safety as the walls close in.
Episode 4: Episode 4 (8.1/10)
Jihad and Nasser act when an impulsive decision sends Bashar deeper into jeopardy. Avihai faces tough questions about the raid. Hila opens up to Doron.
Episode 5: Episode 5 (8.2/10)
With Doron and his team close on their heels, an increasingly desperate Bashar and Jihad follow an audacious plan to elude capture.
Episode 6: Episode 6 (8/10)
As the search for the hostages intensifies, Hila turns to an old asset, and Doron’s squad prepares for one of its riskiest covert operations yet.
Episode 7: Episode 7 (8.9/10)
A hostage takes matters into his own hands, making the team’s stealth mission even more urgent. Bashar learns the distressing truth about his situation.
Episode 8: Episode 8 (8.1/10)
Saddled with a new responsibility, Jihad sees a chance to change his family’s circumstances. Abu Mohammed faces fallout from the hostage debacle.
Episode 9: Episode 9 (8.6/10)
Hila pushes the envelope after the team’s operation goes sideways, forcing Eli into a fraught decision. Doron faces a dire choice of his own
Episode 10: Episode 10 (8.7/10)
Rejoined by an old ally, the team leans on Abu Mohammed while preparing for an all-out assault. Bashar discovers a deception and makes a desperate move.
Episode 11: Episode 11 (7.8/10)
Hardened, Bashar resolves to use Doron’s own strategy against him. The team mourns a loss. Doron confronts Hila over her heat-of-the-moment decision.
Episode 12: Episode 12 (8.4/10)
Eli sends the team back into the field with a new member, while Bashar’s plan for a knockout punch races toward a jolting end.
Season 4 (12 Episodes)
Episode 1: Episode 1 (8.3/10)
A robbery attempt in Jenin puts Dana on a questionable cell’s trail. Gabi asks Doron, still isolated from his old team, to travel with him to Brussels.
Episode 2: Episode 2 (7.9/10)
In the aftermath of a crisis, Eli mobilizes the unit to join Doron in Belgium. Omar’s sister Maya and her husband face unexpected questions.
Episode 3: Episode 3 (8.1/10)
The squad presses forward in their search for Gabi, leading to a high-stakes operation in a crowded apartment block. Nurit confesses a secret to Doron.
Episode 4: Episode 4 (7.9/10)
Upon his return, Doron refuses to believe the worst. Maya begins receiving mysterious messages. Dana, hunting for Adel, puts pressure on a new source.
Episode 5: Episode 5 (7.9/10)
In the aftermath of the attacks, Shin Bet mobilizes for revenge while Raphael pitches Doron on a new mission. Sagi reacts to unexpected news.
Episode 6: Episode 6 (8/10)
Doron and Maya begin a long journey. The fallout from Sagi’s unauthorized plan to lure Adel out of hiding leaves the team divided and at risk.
Episode 7: Episode 7 (7.9/10)
When information leaks to their adversaries in Lebanon, Maya and Doron improvise to reach their destination. Omar faces a painful dilemma.
Episode 8: Episode 8 (8.1/10)
Dana receives a crucial tip that leads Eli’s team to a garage in Jenin. Maya finally reaches Aisha, but finds that her mission isn’t over yet.
Episode 9: Episode 9 (7.9/10)
A shocking revelation changes the stakes and the plan for Doron. Eli, despite his doubts, signs on for one more mission. Haj moves a valuable asset.
Episode 10: Episode 10 (8.3/10)
Every second counts as the squad, using Omar’s intelligence, races to stay ahead of Haj and recover Gabi before his captors move him out of Lebanon.
Episode 11: Episode 11 (7.7/10)
Maya and her family gather in mourning, while Adel moves forward with a plan to strike back. Gabi struggles to process his time as a hostage.
Episode 12: Episode 12 (8.5/10)
Omar’s funeral in Jenin provides a morbid opportunity for Shin Bet as they pursue Adel, sending Doron and his teammates into danger once again.
Season 5 (11 Episodes)
Episode 1: Episode 1
Episode 2: Episode 2
Episode 3: Episode 3
Episode 4: Episode 4
Episode 5: Episode 5
Episode 6: Episode 6
Episode 7: Episode 7
Episode 8: Episode 8
Episode 9: Episode 9
Episode 10: Episode 10
Episode 11: Episode 11
Where to Watch
Stream on: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Buy on: VIVA by videofutur, Premiere Max