Abhiroop Das
Created by Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff, ‘Fauda‘ tells the story of Doron Kavillio, a former member of an elite Israeli military unit who is pulled back into the field in season 5, after his friend and former teammate goes rogue. Eli, who lost his family during the October 7, 2023, attacks, resolves to take revenge after learning that the killer escaped to France and is leading a comfortable life there. As Eli reaches Marseilles and Doron chases him, the situation quickly gets out of hand, revealing a larger network of resistance fighters planning another massive operation. This prompts Doron and Eli to do what they are best at: blend in with the group and thwart their plans from within.
However, the reality proves far more complicated, and Eli ends up dying. By the end of season 5, Doron and his team successfully neutralize an attack planned by Saeed al-Khatib, a major resistance fighter, and kill him in the process. However, this hardly feels like a conclusion to the people who have witnessed the cost of this war firsthand. While Netflix has not given any updates on a sixth season as of writing, in the best-case scenario, fans can expect a sequel sometime around 2028.
Fauda Season 6 Can Focus on Doron’s PTSD
While Netflix has not greenlit ‘Fauda’ for a sixth season, the ending of season 5 leaves the door open for the story to continue. Instead of a cliffhanger, we are left with an image of Doron reeling with guilt and trauma, and recovering from that will most likely be a long journey. While the threat posed by Saeed may be gone for now, his fellow resistance fighters still remain and might be planning something next. Doron and his team have dealt with blowback efforts before, and given that one of the themes is about the cyclical nature of violence, the story can go on much longer. Ultimately, both the decisions to continue or end the series are feasible and rest with what the creators think is the best direction for the characters.
For the past two seasons, Doron has begun his arc in retirement, leading a life of relative peace yet still affected by the past. Hence, both seasons ultimately mold the plot in a way that leaves Doron with no choice but to rejoin the game, as it largely defines him. However, this pattern is also self-destructive in its own right, and a potential sixth installment might focus entirely on that aspect. Notably, while creator Avi Issacharoff has not commented on a next season, he has revealed that ‘Fauda’ is headed to the cinema to continue Doron and his team’s story, and the movie is already in production.
Fauda Season 6 Will Likely Not Bring Back Some Major Characters
With season 5 bringing some major twists and turns to the story, a similar shift can also be expected to take place in the cast list of a potential sequel. While actor Lior Raz is expected to reprise his role as Doron Kavillio, since the entire story primarily revolves around his character, the same cannot be said for his co-star Yaakov Zada Daniel. Following the death of Eli, Daniel is unlikely to return in an active capacity, though fans might glimpse him in flashback sequences. Instead, actor Doron Ben-David can be expected to have a bigger role going forward, as Hertzel “Steve” Pinto. Actors Itzik Cohen and Laetitia Eido also have a good chance of returning as Gabi and Dr. Shirin El Abed, respectively.
Among the newer introductions to the cast, the name that stands out the most is that of Mélanie Laurent, who plays Anne. While she does make it to the end of the season alive, it’s unlikely that Anne will be returning for a potential sequel. On the other hand, the major antagonists of this arc, namely Saeed al-Khatib, Maher Zeitoun, and Abu Zahar, all die by the end of the season, which means that actors Hakim Djaziri, Amjad Bader, and Ali Ali’s time with the show has come to an end. However, a fresh face will likely be cast as the new antagonist of the story, along with new seasonal characters to keep the overall story fresh. Additionally, Idan Amedi might also become a regular presence as Sagi Tzur, depending on whether he has fully recovered from his injuries and wishes to reprise his fan-favorite role.
Fauda Season 6 Might Take on a Self-Introspective Turn
The thematic core of ‘Fauda’ lies in the characters’ inner battles and how they both inform and are informed by their actions. This is taken up a notch in season 5, where Anne very openly claims that Doron is a part of the very system he hopes to put an end to. A potential sequel can take a more experimental turn by looking into this very detail, potentially dramatizing the contemporaneous realities that this show often draws from. While we see a glimpse into such a thread with Eli in this season, it might be Doron’s turn in the next chapter of the story, especially with his PTSD being highlighted as a recurring beat in the narrative.
Given various production and narrative constraints, season 5 focuses on a relatively small cast, with some fan-favorite characters being written off. If a sixth season allows for their return to the show, the plot can very easily bridge the gap and focus on an arc or two. Because of Eli’s death, the deuteragonist role in the show is somewhat vacant, giving characters such as Hertzel an opportunity to take on that mantle. With the show going international for two seasons straight, there is no reason not to continue that pattern, as it allows the story to remain fresh and brings different sociopolitical tensions into the fray. However, whether a new season can truly shake things up, on a narrative level, depends on how it approaches Doron’s evolution.
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