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NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

JEOPARDY JEW? JEWS OF SEX-ED (THE SERIES), SCI-FI SCRIBES

As I write this, a week of already-filmed Jeopardy episodes, hosted by nowousted host Mike Richards, are being aired. Alreadyfilmed episodes, hosted by Mayim Bialik, will start being aired on Sept. 20. Also, as I write this, contestant Matt Amodio is still winning Jeopardy games. He has the thirdlongest winning-streak in Jeopardy history (won more than $775K).

Amodio, about 23, is a Yale computer science grad student. The news: I was just reliably informed that his mother is Jewish. No info on his father or how he was raised. So, tell a friend about Amodio (but probably not in the form of a question.)

The original Netflix series Sex Education began its third season on Sept. 17. This British series has been one of the most popular and most-viewed of Netflix series. Reviews have been quite good. I am just starting to “bingewatch” it because there are now three Jewish actors in the series. Two just joined.

The main character of the series is Otis, an older teen whose mother is a sex therapist. Most of the other characters fall into two groups: other students at Moordale, the school that Otis attends (equivalent to an American high school), or the Moordale faculty/ administrative staff.

You will definitely remember Jemima Kirke, 36, if you watched the hit HBO series, Girls, starring Lena Dunham. She appeared in all six seasons as Dunham’s great friend, Jessa Johnson (who spoke with a British accent). Kirke co-stars in Sex Education as Hope, the new headmistress of Moordale. Hope, a former Moordale student, plans to crack down on the school’s reputation as a “sex school.”

Kirke’s parents are both English and she was raised in England. Her father, who isn’t Jewish, was a drummer for the 1980s band Bad Company. Her Jewish mother comes from a prominent and wealthy Jewish family. Jemina’s ex-husband, Michael Mosberg, an American lawyer, is the father of her two children.

Appearing in a (new) recurring role is Brit actor Jason Isaacs, 58. He has been steadily appearing (sometimes starring) in films and TV shows for decades. But he’s still probably best known for playing Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies. Issacs plays Peter Groff, the brother of (star character) Michael Groff, the headmaster of Moordale. Peter is described as Michael’s cockier and more successful brother, and he’s come to visit his brother to comfort him following Michael’s separation from his wife, Maureen.

Maureen is a recurring character who is played by Samantha Spiro, 53. Spiro is another British Jewish thespian. Her film and TV credits are limited.

However, she is a really acclaimed stage actress, winning many awards, including two Olivier awards, the equivalent of a Tony. She has played several Jewish parts on the British stage, including Fanny Brice in Funny Girl (yes, Spiro can sing, too). I was surprised to learn that she was in Game of Thrones. She made one memorable appearance as the beleaguered mother of star character Samwell Tarly.

Foundation, an original Apple+ 10-episode series, premieres on Friday, Sept. 24. The first three episodes will be released on the 24th. The last seven will be released each week following. The series is based upon science fiction books written by Isaac Asimov (1920-1992). Three Foundation books were published in the 1950s, and that trilogy has often been called the best sci-fi series of all time. Asimov was prevailed upon to write three more Foundation novels in the 1980s. Asimov was a professor of biochemistry as well as being a novelist.

Back in the ’80s, Asimov was almost a household name, frequently appearing on major talk shows. He often talked about science and the history of science, and he wrote many books about science for a popular audience. Asimov’s daughter, Robyn Asimov, 66, is a producer of the Apple series.

The premise of the novels is complex — in short, the hero character (correctly) predicts a looming dark age. This dark age cannot be avoided, he says, but it can be shortened from 30,000 years to 1,000 years. The Foundation trilogy largely takes place during this thousand-year dark age.

The series was created by David S. Goyer, 55, and Josh Friedman, 53. Goyer was born and raised in Ann Arbor. His mother was Jewish, and he was raised Jewish. Goyer has directed and/or written scores of TV shows and films since 1990, including the Blade trilogy and the Dark Knight Batman films.

It’s unclear if Goyer co-wrote the whole Foundation series. Available credits say he and Friedman co-wrote the first two episodes.

Mayim Bialik

MARK NEYMAN / GOVERNMENT PRESS OFFICE (ISRAEL), VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Matt Amodio

JEOPARDY SCREENSHOT