Zbeng!

At the center are Gal Tichon and his friends, students at Ironi Aleph high school in Tel Aviv.

Everyday life means romances and breakups, exams, parties, music, modeling, jealousy, status fights and endless run-ins with teachers and the principal's office.

Characters are exaggerated Israeli teen types: Gal the relatively "normal" kid stories orbit; Sigal his opinionated idealist girlfriend; Ginger the wild girl-chaser; Maya the model and queen bee; Asher Killer the threatening bully; Yaron Gal's twin nerd brother; and Anuga Zaafani the terrifying teacher.

Alongside standalone stories there was continuity - Gal and Sigal's relationship goes through crises and even a breakup, and earlier episodes shape later dynamics.

Uri Fink's "Zbeng!" comic began in Maariv Lanoar in 1987 as a satirical, over-the-top take on Israeli teens and became one of the country's most recognizable comics.

The TV adaptation tried to keep not only names and personalities but the look: costumes, makeup and hair were pushed so actors would evoke the drawn characters.

Wigs helped - Shiri Gadni's dark Sigal look with the signature colored streak, Sendi Bar's long blonde Maya hair - and outfits stayed largely fixed, as in the comic.

Stories were not copied line-for-line; many were freely adapted and expanded.

Mrs. Teshukati (Limor Goldstein) is one example of a plot reworked from the comic.

Gal Tichon (Lion Rosenberg) - central lead, Sigal's boyfriend, Yaron's twin; guitarist in the band Achoti HaTzole'at.

Sigal Sagi (Shiri Gadni) - Gal's sharp, feminist, animal-rights-minded girlfriend; their relationship is a continuing arc.

Ronen "Gingi" Sagiv (Haim Elmakias) - Gal's friend and bandmate; schemer and girl-chaser whose plans often fail.

Maya Shalit (Sendi Bar) - model and class queen, obsessed with looks, fame and status.

Yossefa (Iris Abramovich) and Asher Killer (Eitan Greenstein) - couple; he is the school bully.

Yaron Tichon (Elad Katan) - Gal's twin, star student and nerd opposite.

Ido Ramon (Nimrod Reshef) - the rocker, also in Achoti HaTzole'at.

Anuga Zaafani (Yossi Graber) - grotesque terrifying teacher in green dress, wig and heavy makeup - one of the show's most remembered turns.

Principal Zvulun Hartzuali (Simon Rosenfeld). Also: Dror Geva (Hertzel), Moshe Laniado (Nir), Liron Levo (Golan Pines), Adi Ezroni (Sivan), Tamar Levi Eldar (Noga), Limor Goldstein (Mrs. Teshukati). Uri Fink appeared in several cameos.

Produced for Keshet on Channel 2 by Omer Productions and Clasikaletet.

Head writer/script editor Eitan Aner; other writers include Shiri Tsuk, Kobi Mahat and Yoash Ben Eliezer.

Directors include Yoav Gorfinkel, Shay Carmeli-Pollak, Yariv Horowitz and Roni Kay-Shefer.

Orna Lavi-Flint was series creator, editor and producer.

Horowitz later said each episode took about three shooting days.

The opening song was "Hashir Sheli" by Doctor Casper's Bunny Show - an existing track chosen for the intro.

Episodes also featured The Brilliantes, a retro cover act (performed by HaZoharim); an album followed in 1999. Distinct from Achoti HaTzole'at, the fictional rock band of Gal, Ido and Ginger from the comic.

Zbeng! premiered on Keshet / Channel 2 in 1998 for two seasons (40 episodes). The pilot reached about 27.5% rating.

Later reruns included HOT Israeli Entertainment and Arutz HaYeladim.

In 1999 Modan published "Zbeng LIVE," books based on the TV adaptation's plots - among them "Hayom HaRishon" and "Yom HaIsha HaBeinleumi." An unusual path: comic to TV, then some TV stories back into print.

In 2019, about two decades later, several cast members reunited and recreated the characters' looks (including for a campaign), underscoring how wigs, costumes and styling defined the TV version.