We Were The Lucky Ones is an American historical drama miniseries developed by Erica Lipez for Hulu that premiered on March 28, 2024 and ended on May 2, 2024.
[1] It is an adaptation of the 2017 book of the same name by Georgia Hunter, inspired by the story of her own family's struggle to survive World War II and the Holocaust.
[2] The drama centers on the Kurc family, Polish Jews, which includes five siblings portrayed by Joey King, Logan Lerman, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Amit Rahav and Hadas Yaron and their parents, played by Lior Ashkenazi and Robin Weigert.
After the war begins, and as Hitler's persecution of European Jewry intensifies, the family is split apart, scattered from Poland to the Soviet Union, Italy, and Brazil.
[3][1] Halina and Bella survive their journey, including being captured and forced to work in a Soviet army camp, and reach Lvov.
In Radom, the Germans evict Jews from their homes on 30 minutes notice, including Sol, Nechuma and Mila, and relocates them to the city's old Jewish quarter.
Addy manages to get a visa to leave France on the ship Alsina, bound for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Sol, Nechuma and Halina return to their home in Radom in the hope of finding mail from Genek or Addy, but are turned away by the tenants now living in their apartment.
The series is produced by 20th Television and is adapted by Erica Lipez from the 2017 Georgia Hunter book We Were The Lucky Ones, a New York Times Best Seller[7] inspired by the story of her own family.
[15] The role of Madame Lowbeer is portrayed by a non-Jewish actress, Marin Hinkle, who has a real-life Jewish husband and raised their son as a Jew.
The website's critics consensus reads, "Equal parts harrowing and life-affirming, We Were the Lucky Ones is a sensitively told tale of perseverance given tear-inducing heart by its wonderful ensemble.
[20] RogerEbert.com concluded that "We Were the Lucky Ones is a defiant and harrowing, soul shattering story—one that gives the full range of the horrors that occur when you've been displaced, unmoored, and dehumanized.
"[21] Aramide Tinibu of Variety also praised the series: "Spending extended time with each member of the Kurcs allows the viewer to get into their psyche while absorbing differing perspectives and opinions instead of a monolithic overview of Holocaust survivors.
But it joins a growing inventory of important, eye-opening, memorable, and timely TV takes on the Holocaust and World War II.