{"id":6658,"date":"2026-03-17T14:08:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T14:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/6658\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T14:08:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T14:08:09","slug":"the-best-immigrant-reflects-political-populism-global-breakouts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/6658\/","title":{"rendered":"‘The Best Immigrant’ Reflects Political Populism \u2013 Global Breakouts"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tWelcome to\u00a0Global Breakouts<\/a>, Deadline\u2019s strand in which, each fortnight, we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it\u2019s ever been, but breakout hits are appearing in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track\u2026 So, we\u2019re going to do the hard work for you.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs Series Mania<\/a> approaches, we\u2019re profiling a buzzy drama out of Belgium<\/a> that will be premiering in the festival\u2019s International Panorama. The series follows a dystopian near-future Flanders, where a far-right government has expelled all foreign-born nationals. Those desperate enough to stay have one choice: Compete in a ruthless reality show to win a residence permit.<\/p>\n

\n\tName:\u00a0The Best Immigrant<\/a>
Country:\u00a0Belgium
Producers:\u00a0Caviar<\/a>
Distributor: Sony Pictures Television
Streamer:\u00a0Streamz<\/a>
For fans of:\u00a0Years and Years, Children of Men, The Running Man, The Hunger Games franchise<\/p>\n

\n\tThere are several reasons The Best Immigrant should be on your radar. Firstly, it tackles subject matter that cuts to the heart of the slightly terrifying state of local and global politics. Second, it comes from one of the producers behind the original Bad Sisters, Caviar, and third, it\u2019s one of the best performing originals on Streamz, the Belgian streaming service that has developed a reputation for finding local gems and propelling them to the global stage.<\/p>\n

\n\tIf that wasn\u2019t enough, the five-episode series has picked up buzz ahead of Series Mania\u2019s International Competition, where it faces off against eight other shows from around the world. Sony Pictures Television boarded for sales after it was given a Special Mention in the Paramount New Stories Award at the MIA Market in October last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe story centers on Muna (Jennifer Heylen) and Jamal (Farouk Ben Ali), an immigrant couple living in Belgium. When the new far-right government decides all foreign-born nationals must return to their original countries, the pair make the desperate call to compete in a brutal reality TV show to win permanent residence cards.<\/p>\n

\n\tDespite its nightmarish core, the plan was always to create a show that was \u201cfun to watch and not just a dark, dystopian thriller,\u201d says Caviar Managing Partner and The Best Immigrant exec producer Dimitri Verbeeck. Dark humor and action are contrasted with the hateful rhetoric of the government and the indifference of the fictional show\u2019s producers to create a unique proposition on the international TV market.<\/p>\n

\n\tFurther to that, Verbeeck says, was a focus on other issues facing immigrants. \u201cObviously the extreme right\u2019s agenda is one of the main topics, but what The Best Immigrant also does really well is highlight micro-aggressions \u2013 something that almost everybody does almost every day,\u201d he explains. Making the audience laugh at certain scenarios, and then question what they are laughing at, adds another layer to the story, which is based on a script from young screenwriters\u00a0Cristina Poppe\u00a0and\u00a0Raoul Groothuizen from an idea they had a decade ago.<\/p>\n

\n\tGroothuizen, a Netherlands-based writer, picks up the story. \u201cWe came up with the idea, it was exactly when Trump got elected for the first time and when politicians in Europe started saying very harsh and scary things, so that definitely inspired the show. On the larger scale, we also really wanted to make something about people in very difficult situations, being pushed to making even harsher choices and also to reflect on how far they are willing to go to stay in a country that might not even accept them in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tPoppe and Groothuizen\u2019s vision began materializing in 2023, when they took part in the first edition of Streamz Academy, a development program supporting emerging writing talent. Out of 534 entries, The Best Immigrant stood out and a panel of judges agreed it should become a full series. Experienced screenwriters\u00a0Michel Sabbe\u00a0(Styx),\u00a0Hasse Steenssens\u00a0(Geldwolven) and\u00a0Michael De Cock\u00a0(Geldwolven) aided them, as Verbeeck and Caviar adapted what had originally been a more comedic story that had positioned Europe \u201cmore like a fortress,\u201d as Groothuizen recalls, with immigrants confined to islands as they await news of their residency.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt was much more dystopian and really for a narrower audience, so that\u2019s then we started to develop the project for as wide as possible an audience and still keep the the main focus and topics of the show the same,\u201d says Helena Vlogaert, Managing Producer at Caviar and an executive producer on the show.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cOnce we made that change away from people trying to get in to people trying not to leave, it was basically a straight line to where we are today,\u201d says Groothuizen.<\/p>\n

\n\tProduction began in January last year and completed for a mid-December launch. Starring alongside Heylen\u00a0(Jackson & Malone) and\u00a0Ben Ali\u00a0(Without Appointment) are the likes of Sa\u00efd Boumazoughe\u00a0(Mocro Mafia),\u00a0Greg Timmermans\u00a0(Moresnet),\u00a0Louis Talpe\u00a0(Onder Vuur),\u00a0\u200b\u200bCharlotte Timmers\u00a0(Safe Harbor) and more. Newer acting talent such as Noa Tambwe Kabati, Tama Theophore Kabeya, Lauren De Bie, Laura De Geest and Evelyne Chen were also cast.<\/p>\n

\n\tAlso attached to the resulting series are Adil El Arbi and and\u00a0Bilall Fallah, the Belgian-Moroccan directors of Bad Boys For Life and Bad Boys: Ride or Die, who took executive producer roles, and Michael Abay, an emerging Belgian director who made Streamz series Kameleon. Caviar and Lompvis \u2013 who teamed for Canneseries 2025 competition title Dead End \u2013 are the co-producers, with the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF), Screen Flanders, Telenet and Caviar Film Financing also supporting the production.<\/p>\n

\n\tRatings have been strong since its launch at the backend of 2025, Streamz has reported, even if the show is considered an unexpected hit. \u201cIf it weren\u2019t for the Streams Academy, I\u2019m not sure if it would have been commissioned because it\u2019s a risky project, but this month we were at Streamz office to analyze the results of the viewings, and it was one of their best shows to date,\u201d says Verbeeck.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s definitely not easy to make quality TV from a small-language territory, but because we are a small industry and with Belgium\u2019s history of great artists even as far back as [famous Belgian artist Peter Paul] Rubens, we have just got the knack for these kinds of things,\u201d adds Vlogaert. \u201cWe find these little gems that we can bring to the audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAccidental favors from right-wing politicians<\/p>\n

\n\tWith President Trump\u2019s ICE agents ripping citizens off the streets and deportations happening more regularly around the world, the subject matter is wildly relevant. Groothuizen recalls the unsettling feeling of the U.S.\u2019s lurch further right under Trump. \u201cIt was like, \u2018Oh shit, the thing Christina and I wrote about is actually happening in one of the biggest countries in the world,’\u201d he says. \u201cIt was very, very weird, but it made us believe in the project even more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tA local right-wing politician jumped on the show, which the writers say gave it another unexpected round of press attention. \u201cThat really pushed our marketing and press campaign,\u201d says Groothuizen. \u201cHe did as a favor \u2013 he didn\u2019t mean to but he certainly did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThere have been rumors of a U.S. remake of the show, which would put it in the company of Bad Sisters and other Belgian shows that have been remade in the English language to great success. No-one is confirming right now, but Verbeeck says: \u201cIt tells a story that everyone knows, and it\u2019s very entertaining as well. It\u2019s also a bingeable series which really helps, so I think it\u2019s got a strong potential in local markets in terms of remakes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFor Groothuizen, Series Mania marks the next step on the remarkable road The Best Immigrant has taken to find its way. \u201cFor me personally, I am just really curious to see if this show connects overseas with this more international audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAn open-ended season closer means there could be a second season, or the concepts of immigration and modern-day political populism could see Groothuizen, Poppe and co developing something \u201cstill in the same world and on the same topics,\u201d but in a different format or script.<\/p>\n

\n\tWe\u2019ll see how The Best Immigrant fares at Series Mania next week as the show competes in its own TV competition at the International Panorama.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome to\u00a0Global Breakouts, Deadline\u2019s strand in which, each fortnight, we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6659,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[7,4800,4801,4091,4802,4803],"class_list":{"0":"post-6658","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-belgium","8":"tag-belgium","9":"tag-caviar","10":"tag-global-breakouts","11":"tag-series-mania","12":"tag-streamz","13":"tag-the-best-immigrant"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@be\/116244912917098656","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6658"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6658\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}