Tsures, Shnook, and Overlapping Dialogue: The Language of Long Story Short with Raphael Bob-Waksberg

This Heritage Words episode features Raphael Bob-Waksberg, creator of the new Netflix series Long Story Short. Bob-Waksberg discusses his Ashkenazi roots, noting that his primary exposure to Yiddish came from American pop culture such as Mad Magazine and Mel Brooks. He also discusses his show’s use of overlapping dialogue and Yiddish heritage words such as tsures and ungepatchke, sharing that this specificity allows audiences to find universal connections.

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Raphael Bob-Waksberg is the creator of BoJack Horseman and the new show Long Story Short which premiered this summer on Netflix. He co-created Undone with Kate Purdy and served as executive producer on Lisa Hanawalt’s Tuca & Bertie. His book of short stories Someone Who Will Love You In All Your Damaged Glory can be found wherever books tend to congregate.