The four-part miniseries centers on the harrowing events of October 7, portraying the intersecting lives of civilians caught in the chaos. Among them is Bat Sheva (Sela), a mother fleeing with her daughters as her son is abducted; Ohad (Leon), a devoted father who becomes a symbol of ultimate sacrifice; and Ayoub (Sulliman), who mourns the loss of his wife while hiding with his infant behind enemy lines. The story also follows Nofar (Amsalem), a border police officer wounded while protecting others, and her colleague Liat. Kobi (Atias), an anti-terror officer, charges into danger to rescue his wife, while Tali (Sara Vino), a determined mother, becomes an unexpected hero in the search for her injured son, Itamar (Katan).[1]
In November 2024, it was confirmed that the project would be produced by American producer, Lawrence Bender.[6] Bender has spoken about his motivation to produce the series: “What better way to tell the world what really happened? The world needs to be reminded of the truth. This is going to exist, and this will be here for the world to see."[7]
A pre-production creative decision was to decide on which of the survivor accounts would be retold on screen. Bender explained: “There are so many stories … it wasn’t an easy process. We wanted to find stories that we could, in a relatively small amount of episodes, show the beginning, middle, and the end with a hero.”[7]
The actors met with survivors of the October 7 attack, whose stories they were recreating on the screen.[8]
Filming
The series was shot on diffrent locations in Israel, with principal photography beginning in spring 2025.[6] Some of the filming took place in the Gaza envelope.[7] The series was shot over 39 days.[9]
The series also includes some real footage taken on October 7 in Israel.[8]
Release
The series premiered in Israel on October 5, 2025 on Channel 12.[2][10]
The series released in the United States and internationally on October 7, 2025 through Paramount+.[11]
Reception
Review aggregation website Metacritic gave the series a score of 74 out of 100, based on reviews from 5 critics.[4]
Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter praised the series: "I’m honestly not quite sure which audience is going to crave a series like Red Alert, but I can vouch that despite occasional irritatingly visible attempts to evoke response, it’s breathlessly effective."[12]
James Poniewozik reviewed the series for The New York Times, praising Vino: "(Sara Vino is a standout in this last role, giving her character a human-scale, stubborn bravery.)". Poniewozik felt that the series "cannot avoid existing in a political environment." while acknowledging that "Artists, of course, are not governed by an equal-time rule. They are not obligated to tell every story, even when basing their work on real events." He continued to add that the series does "seek above all to ensure that the dead are not forgotten, with an air of duty and occasionally a mournful beauty." He concluded that the series is one of the "first-draft attempts to fix a single, terrible day in the cultural record, even as history keeps rolling forward."[13]
On 1 October, 2025, the BBC grouped the series with One Day in October in its list of "11 of the best TV shows to watch this October."[14]
In Israel, the series was praised by Roy Dahan writing in Maariv: "Red Alert managed to convey everything - the anxiety, the loss, but also the hope and strength that grew out of the darkness."[15]
The series has been widely viewed in Israel, with the first episode watched by nearly 18% of the Israeli public.[16]
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