44 | SEPTEMBER 23 • 2021 
 
 
 
 

JEOPARDY JEW? JEWS 
OF SEX-ED (THE SERIES), 
SCI-FI SCRIBES
As I write this, a week of 
already-filmed Jeopardy 
episodes, hosted by now-
ousted host Mike Richards, 
are being aired. Already-
filmed 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 third-
longest 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 “binge-
watch” 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. 

CELEBRITY NEWS

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

ARTS&LIFE

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

Mayim 
Bialik

Matt 
Amodio

JEOPARDY SCREENSHOT

