A new television series from Belgium is making people think about the future in a scary way. The show is called The Best Immigrant, and it tells a story about what might happen if extreme leaders took control of a country. It was first imagined as a fake story, but many people say it now feels like the real world. This show is getting a lot of attention this week at a big TV festival called Series Mania.

What Happened?

The creators of the show, Raoul Groothuizen and Christina Poppe, started working on this idea back in 2018. At that time, they noticed that some politicians were using very harsh words against people who came from other countries. They wanted to imagine a world where these harsh words became real laws. In their story, a far-right political party wins an election in Belgium. Right away, they pass a law that says anyone not born in the country must leave. This creates a terrifying situation for many families who have lived there for a very long time.

To make the story even more shocking, a local TV channel in the show starts a new competition. The show is called The Best Immigrant. In this game, people from other countries must compete to prove they are worthy of staying in Belgium. The person who wins the game gets to keep their home and stay in the country. However, the people who lose the game are treated very badly. They are arrested by the police and sent away in a violent way. When the writers first thought of this, they believed it was just a science fiction story that would never happen in real life. They called it a dystopian fantasy.

By the time they started filming the show last year, things began to change. The director, Michael Abay, said that the show started to look like a real news report. For example, they filmed a scene where police go into a school to take teachers away. Shortly after, they saw similar things happening in the news in places like the United States. Even the idea of a TV competition about immigration turned out to be close to reality. An American producer once suggested a similar show to the government. This made the cast and crew feel like the real world was catching up to their scary story.

Key Highlights

The Best Immigrant is a Belgian TV series that imagines a very dark future for migrants.
In the show, people must compete on a reality TV program to win the right to stay in the country.
The winners get to stay, but the losers are violently removed from their homes by the police.
The creators first wrote the script in 2018 as a science fiction story.
Director Michael Abay noticed that real-life news events started to look like scenes from the show.
The series has become very famous in Belgium and is now being shown to international audiences.
A major far-right politician in Belgium publicly attacked the show, which made more people want to watch it.

Why Does This Matter?

This news is important because it shows how television can help us talk about big problems in our world. Many people today are worried about how countries treat people who move from one place to another. When a show like this comes out, it makes everyone stop and think. It asks us how far we would let things go if the government became very strict and mean. It reminds us that the stories we see on our screens can sometimes reflect the fears we have in our daily lives.

For regular people, this show acts as a warning. It uses a simple idea, like a reality TV competition, to explain a very sad and complicated topic. This makes it easier for everyone to understand the stress and pain that some families go through. It also shows that the things we think are impossible can sometimes start to feel normal if we are not careful. By watching this show, people can start conversations about how to be kinder and how to make sure these scary stories do not come true in real life.

What Are People Saying?

The reactions to the show have been very loud and strong. In Belgium, the show premiered on a streaming service called Streamz and was immediately attacked by far-right leaders. One top politician was very angry about the show. The executive producer, Adil El Arbi, said that this anger actually proved their point. He believes that if the politician did not see himself in the story, he would not have been so upset. This controversy helped the show become the most talked-about topic on the news.

The actors have also spoken about how hard it was to make the show. Jennifer Heylen, who stars as a contestant named Mona, said the story felt very personal to her. She is the daughter of immigrants herself. She said that while she usually plays fun roles like a princess, this role felt like her real life. She could not just take off a costume and forget about the racism in the story because she lives in the same world as her character. She noted that five years ago, people would have thought the show was too crazy to be true, but now they are not surprised at all.

Conclusion

The Best Immigrant is a show that is making a big impact because it feels so close to real life. What started as a science fiction idea has turned into a mirror for our current world. It challenges viewers to think about politics, media, and how we treat each other. As the show begins to screen in other countries, it will likely start even more debates. Whether it is seen as a scary fantasy or a warning of what is to come, it is a story that people will be talking about for a long time. It serves as a powerful reminder that art can sometimes predict the future before it even happens.