| Native Name: | Iosi, el espía arrepentido |
| Creator: | Daniel Burman |
| Composer: | Federico Jusid |
| Language: | Spanish |
| Num Seasons: | 2 |
| Num Episodes: | 16 |
| Cinematography: | Rodrigo Pulpeiro |
| Runtime: | 39–53 minutes |
| Network: | Amazon Prime Video |
Yosi, the Regretful Spy (Spanish; Castilian: '''Iosi, el espía arrepentido'''|link=no) is an Argentine-Uruguayan thriller television series created by Daniel Burman for Amazon Prime Video and based on the 2015 book Iosi, el espía arrepentido by authors Horacio Lutzky and .[1] It revolves around an Argentine Federal Police agent who infiltrates a Jewish community to gather information, which was apparently used to carry out the terrorist attacks against the Israeli embassy in 1992 and the AMIA in 1994.[2]
The series, which debuted on April 29, 2022, stars a cast of Argentines and Uruguayans actors.[3] A month after its premiere, in May 2022 it was renewed for a second season, premiered on October 27, 2023.[4] In November 2022, Yosi, the Regretful Spy won the Silver Condor Awards for Best Drama Series, and Bassani for Best Leading Actor in Drama.[5]
Yosi, the Regretful Spy follows José Pérez, an intelligence agent of the Argentine Federal Police, who is assigned to infiltrate a Jewish community, to gather information about the "Andinia Plan", which seeks to establish a Jewish state in Patagonia. This plan was later used to perpetrate two terrorist attacks on Argentine soil: the bombing on the Israeli embassy in 1992 –in which no culprits were determined–, and on the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association in 1994 –in which several accessories after the fact were convicted–.[6]
In February 2017, it was announced that the Argentine production company Oficina Burman had joined Mediapro to develop several projects to launch internationally, including the adaptation of the book Iosi, el espía arrepentido written by Horacio Lutzky and Miriam Lewin, and which tells the real story of an Argentine policeman who infiltrates a Jewish community.[13] In January 2020, Daniel Burman and Sebastián Borensztein were confirmed as the directors of the series that would be made up of 8 episodes of 40–50 minutes each.[14] On 7 April 2022, it was announced that the series would premiere on the 29th.[15] On 26 May 2022, Amazon Prime Video renewed the show for a second series.[16] In September 2023, the premiere of the second season was announced for October 27.[17]
On 17 May 2018, it was announced that Natalia Oreiro, Gustavo Bassani, Marco Antonio Caponi, Alejandro Awada, Juan Leyrado, Matías Mayer and Minerva Casero had joined the show's main cast. In January 2021, it was reported that Carla Quevedo had been cast.[18] At the end of May 2022, it was reported that two Israeli actors Moran Rosenblatt and Itzik Cohen would join the cast of the series.[19]
Filming for the first series took place at several locations in Uruguay during 2021.[20] Although the filming took place mainly in Montevideo, several towns in the Canelones Department, such as Progreso, Cerrillos, La Paz and Paso de Carrasco were also included.[21]
Raúl Kollmann of Página 12 gave a positive review and wrote: "Iosi, el espía arrepentido makes visible what that time was and what the infiltrators of the Federal Police were. But above all because the chapters are exciting, with a huge production that includes beautiful images in the desert, good performances and a rhythm that has nothing to envy to the best series".[22]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Produ Awards | Best Adaptation Series | Iosi, el espía arrepentido | [23] | |
| Best Lead Actress - Drama Series | Natalia Oreiro | ||||
| Best Lead Actor - Drama Series | Gustavo Bassani | ||||
| Best Showrunner | Daniel Burman | ||||
| Silver Condor Awards | Best Drama Series | Iosi, el espía arrepentido | [24] [25] | ||
| Best Director | Daniel Burman and Sebastián Borensztein | ||||
| Best Leading Actor in Drama | Gustavo Bassani | ||||
| Best Supporting Actor | Alejandro Awada | ||||
| Best Supporting Actress | Minerva Casero | ||||
| Natalia Oreiro | |||||
| Best Male Newcomer | Gustavo Bassani | ||||
| Best Female Newcomer | Minerva Casero | ||||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Sebastián Borensztein, Natacha Caravia, Andrés Gelós, Sergio Dubcovsky and Daniel Burman | ||||
| Best Director of Photography | Rodrigo Pulpeiro | ||||
| Best Montage | Alejandro Carrillo Penovi and Alejandro Parysow | ||||
| Best Art Direction | Marcelo Salvioli | ||||
| Best Costume Design | Carolina Duré and Roberta Pesci | ||||
| Best Original Music | Federico Jusid | ||||
| Best Makeup and Hairstyling | Alberto Moccia | ||||
| Best Sound Design | Jésica Suárez | ||||
| 2023 | Platino Awards | Best Miniseries or TV series | Iosi, el espía arrepentido | [26] [27] | |
| Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or TV series | Alejandro Awada | ||||
| Best Series Creator | Daniel Burman | ||||
| International Emmy Awards | Best Drama Series | Yosi, the Regretful Spy | |||
| Best Actor | Gustavo Bassani |