Tyrant is an American political dramatelevision series created by director and writer Gideon Raff and developed by Howard Gordon and Craig Wright.[1] The first season of Tyrant consisting of 10 episodes premiered on American cable networkFX on June 24, 2014, and ended on August 26, 2014.[2] Subsequently, FX then went on to renew Tyrant for a second season which premiered on June 16, 2015, and ended on September 1, 2015.[3] On October 8, 2015, the network renewed the series for a third season, which premiered on July 6, 2016.[4][5] On September 7, 2016, FX announced it had cancelled the series after three seasons.[6]
Bassam "Barry" Al-Fayeed, the younger of two sons of an infamous Middle-Eastern tyrant, has been running from his past for 20 years. Now a pediatrician living in the United States, he has an American wife, son and daughter, and no desire to revisit his familial origins. However, when he is reluctantly compelled to return to his home country (the fictional Abuddin) for his nephew's wedding, he is quickly drawn into a taut political crisis when his father dies in the midst of a growing popular revolution against the ruling family. Bassam must now attempt to use his influence to guide the new president, his brutal and unstable older brother Jamal, to a political solution that will avert a bloody conflict.
Cast
Main
Adam Rayner as Bassam "Barry" Al-Fayeed (Khalil in seclusion): the second son of Khaled Al-Fayeed, the long-term dictator of Abuddin, and Amira Al-Fayeed. He has been in self-imposed exile in Pasadena, working as a pediatrician.[7]
Noah Silver as Sami Al-Fayeed: Barry's and Molly's son, who is gay.[7]
Anne Winters as Emma Al-Fayeed (season 1; special guest seasons 2–3): Barry and Molly's daughter.
Salim Daw as Yussef (season 1): the longtime top political advisor to the President of Abuddin. He is in this position under both Khaled and Jamal's presidencies.
Mehdi Dehbi as Abdul (season 1): a young man from Abuddin who works as a security officer for the Al-Fayeed family.
Alice Krige as Amira Al-Fayeed (seasons 1–2): the matriarch of the Al-Fayeed clan (Jamal and Barry's mother).
Justin Kirk as John Tucker (season 1): a U.S. diplomat assigned to the embassy in Abuddin.[7][9]
Alexander Karim as Ihab Rashid (seasons 2–3; recurring season 1): Sheik Rashid's son and the current resistance leader who has his own aspirations to take over the government.
Cameron Gharaee as Ahmed Al-Fayeed (seasons 2–3; recurring season 1): Jamal's and Leila's son, and next in line for leadership after Jamal. He is later revealed to be Barry's son.
Sibylla Deen as Nusrat Al-Fayeed (season 2; recurring seasons 1, 3): Ahmed's bride.
Melia Kreiling as Daliyah Al-Yazbek (season 3; recurring season 2): Ahmos Al-Yazbek's younger wife.
Chris Noth as General William Cogswell (season 3): a US military leader brought in to ensure American interests in the Middle East are protected under Barry's presidency.
Recurring
Nasser Faris as Khaled Al-Fayeed: the President of Abuddin prior to Jamal. Is Jamal and Barry's father, and is married to Amira.
Mor Polanuer as Samira Nadal: Fauzi Nadal's 20-year-old daughter, a Muslim girl in active opposition to the Al-Fayeed family, who fights bravely for the principles in which she believes.
Raad Rawi as General Tariq Al-Fayeed: Khaled's brother, the top military leader of Abuddin.
Mohammad Bakri as Sheik Rashid: the exiled former resistance leader.
Wrenn Schmidt as Jenna Olson: Molly's younger sister, who suddenly appears in Abuddin and surprises Molly and her family. A free-spirited young woman whose reckless ways are usually met with disapproval from Molly and Barry.
Leslie Hope as Lea Exley: an employee of the U.S. Embassy.
While the show was filmed throughout many cities in Israel (such as Kfar Saba, Petach Tikva, and Tel Aviv)[10] and Morocco, because of violence between Hamas and Israel, FX moved its production from Israel to Istanbul, Turkey in 2014.[11][12] The fictional Arab country of "Abuddin" is deliberately compiled out of mixed elements of a few different actual countries, in order to not appear to simulate a particular nation or situation. The producers of the series have also said that no particular sects or clans will be named while relating details. Executive producer Howard Gordon stated, "We do want to stay away from reality and yet hew to it as long as it sort of feels emotionally correct and culturally correct. I think we’re going to try to stay away from names as much as possible."[7]
The first television promos appeared in April 2014, featuring an excerpt of the song "Wave" from the album Morning Phase by Beck.
Season 3 episodes were also filmed in Budapest, Hungary (June 2016).
Reception
Tyrant has received mixed reviews. On Metacritic, the show holds a score of 54 out of 100 (78 out of 100 for the user review base on 150 critics), based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[13] On Rotten Tomatoes, the show has a rating of 60%, based on 47 reviews, with an above average score of 6.2 out of 10. The consensus on the site reads: "Realizing a uniquely vital representation of life in the Middle East, Tyrant mostly thrives as a biting family drama set against immersive scenery".[14]
The pilot episode had been criticized by some for Adam Rayner's lackluster performance, the show's depiction of the Middle East, and for being boring – others have said it is a nuanced performance in an understandably complicated role. Alan Sepinwall at HitFix labeled the show "messy", and criticized Adam Rayner's performance as Barry: "Rayner is so bland, so lacking in charisma in the role – Barry is by nature, a quieter, more reserved character, but there are ways to play silence that aren't remotely this dull – that it's baffling that Gordon and company would go to the trouble and risk the justifiable anger over the casting."[15]
Some reviews were more positive. Melissa Maerz at Entertainment Weekly gave the show a B−, enjoying it, but admitting that the show could use some work: "With so much attention focused on this American series set in the Middle East, Tyrant is already an important show. Now it just has to prove that it's also a good one."[16] At The Arizona Republic, Randy Cordova wrote that the first season "was one of the most overheated programs on TV, in the best sense of the word."[17] He also praised Barhom's work, saying the actor overshadowed Rayner: "Through his layered performance, Barhom brings a smoldering intensity to the role and practically drips with testosterone," Cordova writes.[17]
The show's depiction of Jamal al-Fayeed as a rapist was also criticized. Maureen Ryan at The Huffington Post accused the show of using Jamal's sexual assaults to add "edge" and "atmosphere" to the show: "The women in these scenes are devices—they are there to create an atmosphere of danger or to move the plot along."[18]The A.V. Club's Emily VanDerWerff also agreed that the sexual assaults were used as plot devices: "The pilot is far too cavalier about throwing around sexual assault as a plot point, even if it's trying to make a point about women's rights in Middle Eastern nations." She added that the scenes "leave a bad taste in the mouth".[19]
Ratings
Tyrant : U.S. viewers per episode (millions)
Graphs are temporarily unavailable due to technical issues.
On January 13, 2015, Fox Home Entertainment released the first season of Tyrant on DVD.[21] As of June 14, 2016, the 2nd season on DVD is available for purchase on Amazon, but is manufactured on demand. The third and final season was released on DVD on August 8, 2017.
As of September 24, 2020, the series is available for streaming on Hulu.
References
^Andreeva, Nellie (December 11, 2013). "FX Drama 'Tyrant' From Howard Gordon, Gideon Raff, Craig Wright Ordered To Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
^Bianco, Robert (January 15, 2014). "FX finds a 'Tyrant' in the Middle East". USA Today. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
^Bibel, Sara (September 18, 2014). . TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 20, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
^Petski, Denise (October 8, 2015). "'Tyrant' Renewed For Season 3 On FX". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
^. www.fxnetworks.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-11.
^Patten, Dominic (September 7, 2016). "FX Cancels 'Tyrant' After Three Seasons; Last Episode Airs Tonight". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
^ abcdefgWillmore, Alison (January 16, 2014). "Why FX's Middle Eastern Drama 'Tyrant' Promises to Be One of the Year's Most Hot-Button Series". Indiewire. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
^Maerz, Melissa (August 1, 2014). "Tyrant (2014)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
^"Justin Kirk as John Tucker". FX. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
^Press, Viva Sarah (January 23, 2014). "FX's New TV Series 'Tyrant' about Syrian leader is made in Israel". ISRAEL21c. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
^"'Tyrant' Moves to Turkey Amid Gaza Strip Violence". The Hollywood Reporter. July 14, 2014.
^Andreeva, Nellie (July 21, 2014). "FX's 'Tyrant' To Stay In Turkey For Remainder Of Season 1 Shoot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
^"Tyrant : Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
^"Tyrant: Season 1 (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
^Sepinwall, Alan (June 23, 2014). "Review: FX's Tyrant". HitFix. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
^Maerz, Melissa (July 2, 2014). "Tyrant Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
^ abCordova, Randy. "Stars of FX drama Tyrant talk about second season." The Arizona Republic. June 10, 2015.
^Ryan, Maureen (June 24, 2014). ""Tyrant's" Rape Cliches Are Just The Last Straw". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
^VanDerWerff, Emily (June 24, 2014). "Tyrant revels in the seductive power of boredom". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
^For the first season, see . TV by the Numbers. September 18, 2014. Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
For the second season, see . TV by the Numbers. October 8, 2015. Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
For the third season, see . TV by the Numbers. September 8, 2016. Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
^Lambert, David (November 18, 2014). . TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
tyrant, series, tyrant, american, political, drama, television, series, created, director, writer, gideon, raff, developed, howard, gordon, craig, wright, first, season, tyrant, consisting, episodes, premiered, american, cable, network, june, 2014, ended, augu. Tyrant is an American political drama television series created by director and writer Gideon Raff and developed by Howard Gordon and Craig Wright 1 The first season of Tyrant consisting of 10 episodes premiered on American cable network FX on June 24 2014 and ended on August 26 2014 2 Subsequently FX then went on to renew Tyrant for a second season which premiered on June 16 2015 and ended on September 1 2015 3 On October 8 2015 the network renewed the series for a third season which premiered on July 6 2016 4 5 On September 7 2016 FX announced it had cancelled the series after three seasons 6 TyrantGenrePolitical drama Family dramaCreated byGideon RaffDeveloped byHoward Gordon Craig WrightStarringAdam Rayner Jennifer Finnigan Ashraf Barhom Fares Fares Moran Atias Noah Silver Anne Winters Salim Daw Mehdi Dehbi Alice Krige Justin Kirk Chris Noth Melia KreilingComposersMychael Danna Jeff DannaCountry of originUnited StatesOriginal languageEnglishNo of seasons3No of episodes32 list of episodes ProductionExecutive producersHoward Gordon Gideon Raff Hugh Fitzpatrick Glenn Gordon Caron Christopher Keyser Avi Nir David Fury Michael Lehmann Peter Noah Ken Horton Craig Wright David Yates Ang LeeProducersPavlina Hatoupis Gergo Balika Howard Ellis Adam Goodman Lahav Doron Dennis Hammer Khadija Alami Caglar Ercan Evrim Sanal Mustafa Uslu Ignacio R de Medina Ronald M Bozman Avraham KarpickCinematographyAttila Szalay Itai Ne eman Abraham Karpick Chris SeagerEditorsSang Han Garret Donnelly Don Broida Gerald Valdez Sondra Watanabe Jordan Goldmann Matt Chesse Tanya M SwerlingCamera setupSingle cameraRunning time55 minutes pilot 43 55 minutes regular Production companiesTeakwood Lane Productions Keshet Broadcasting FX Productions 2014 15 FXP 2016 Fox 21 2014 Fox 21 Television Studios 2015 16 ReleaseOriginal networkFXOriginal releaseJune 24 2014 2014 06 24 September 7 2016 2016 09 07 Contents 1 Premise 2 Cast 2 1 Main 2 2 Recurring 3 Episodes 4 Production 5 Reception 5 1 Ratings 6 Home media 7 References 8 External linksPremise EditBassam Barry Al Fayeed the younger of two sons of an infamous Middle Eastern tyrant has been running from his past for 20 years Now a pediatrician living in the United States he has an American wife son and daughter and no desire to revisit his familial origins However when he is reluctantly compelled to return to his home country the fictional Abuddin for his nephew s wedding he is quickly drawn into a taut political crisis when his father dies in the midst of a growing popular revolution against the ruling family Bassam must now attempt to use his influence to guide the new president his brutal and unstable older brother Jamal to a political solution that will avert a bloody conflict Cast EditMain Edit Adam Rayner as Bassam Barry Al Fayeed Khalil in seclusion the second son of Khaled Al Fayeed the long term dictator of Abuddin and Amira Al Fayeed He has been in self imposed exile in Pasadena working as a pediatrician 7 Jennifer Finnigan as Molly Al Fayeed Barry s wife 7 Ashraf Barhom as Jamal Al Fayeed Barry s older brother who takes over the presidency of Abuddin upon his father s death 7 Fares Fares as Fauzi Nadal season 1 special guest seasons 2 3 freedom fighting reporter and Barry s childhood friend 8 Moran Atias as Leila Al Fayeed Jamal s wife 7 Noah Silver as Sami Al Fayeed Barry s and Molly s son who is gay 7 Anne Winters as Emma Al Fayeed season 1 special guest seasons 2 3 Barry and Molly s daughter Salim Daw as Yussef season 1 the longtime top political advisor to the President of Abuddin He is in this position under both Khaled and Jamal s presidencies Mehdi Dehbi as Abdul season 1 a young man from Abuddin who works as a security officer for the Al Fayeed family Alice Krige as Amira Al Fayeed seasons 1 2 the matriarch of the Al Fayeed clan Jamal and Barry s mother Justin Kirk as John Tucker season 1 a U S diplomat assigned to the embassy in Abuddin 7 9 Alexander Karim as Ihab Rashid seasons 2 3 recurring season 1 Sheik Rashid s son and the current resistance leader who has his own aspirations to take over the government Cameron Gharaee as Ahmed Al Fayeed seasons 2 3 recurring season 1 Jamal s and Leila s son and next in line for leadership after Jamal He is later revealed to be Barry s son Sibylla Deen as Nusrat Al Fayeed season 2 recurring seasons 1 3 Ahmed s bride Melia Kreiling as Daliyah Al Yazbek season 3 recurring season 2 Ahmos Al Yazbek s younger wife Chris Noth as General William Cogswell season 3 a US military leader brought in to ensure American interests in the Middle East are protected under Barry s presidency Recurring Edit Nasser Faris as Khaled Al Fayeed the President of Abuddin prior to Jamal Is Jamal and Barry s father and is married to Amira Mor Polanuer as Samira Nadal Fauzi Nadal s 20 year old daughter a Muslim girl in active opposition to the Al Fayeed family who fights bravely for the principles in which she believes Raad Rawi as General Tariq Al Fayeed Khaled s brother the top military leader of Abuddin Mohammad Bakri as Sheik Rashid the exiled former resistance leader Wrenn Schmidt as Jenna Olson Molly s younger sister who suddenly appears in Abuddin and surprises Molly and her family A free spirited young woman whose reckless ways are usually met with disapproval from Molly and Barry Leslie Hope as Lea Exley an employee of the U S Embassy Jake Weber as Jimmy Timmons a lawyer Peter Polycarpou as Mahmoud Al Ghazi a Colonel in the Abuddin military under Jamal s presidency Nathan Clarke as Munir Al Yazbek one of Ahmos sons Armin Karima as Kasim Al Yazbek one of Ahmos sons Keon Alexander as Rami Said a General in the Abuddinian military Ariyon Bakare as Solomon an African military leader Khaled Abol Naga as Hussein Al Qadi a cleric Annet Mahendru as Nafisa Al Qadi Al Qadi s wife Joseph Long as Abd Aziz a trusted head in the palace Episodes EditMain article List of Tyrant episodes SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedFirst airedLast aired110June 24 2014 2014 06 24 August 26 2014 2014 08 26 212June 16 2015 2015 06 16 September 1 2015 2015 09 01 310July 6 2016 2016 07 06 September 7 2016 2016 09 07 Production EditWhile the show was filmed throughout many cities in Israel such as Kfar Saba Petach Tikva and Tel Aviv 10 and Morocco because of violence between Hamas and Israel FX moved its production from Israel to Istanbul Turkey in 2014 11 12 The fictional Arab country of Abuddin is deliberately compiled out of mixed elements of a few different actual countries in order to not appear to simulate a particular nation or situation The producers of the series have also said that no particular sects or clans will be named while relating details Executive producer Howard Gordon stated We do want to stay away from reality and yet hew to it as long as it sort of feels emotionally correct and culturally correct I think we re going to try to stay away from names as much as possible 7 The first television promos appeared in April 2014 featuring an excerpt of the song Wave from the album Morning Phase by Beck Season 3 episodes were also filmed in Budapest Hungary June 2016 Reception EditTyrant has received mixed reviews On Metacritic the show holds a score of 54 out of 100 78 out of 100 for the user review base on 150 critics based on 33 critics indicating mixed or average reviews 13 On Rotten Tomatoes the show has a rating of 60 based on 47 reviews with an above average score of 6 2 out of 10 The consensus on the site reads Realizing a uniquely vital representation of life in the Middle East Tyrant mostly thrives as a biting family drama set against immersive scenery 14 The pilot episode had been criticized by some for Adam Rayner s lackluster performance the show s depiction of the Middle East and for being boring others have said it is a nuanced performance in an understandably complicated role Alan Sepinwall at HitFix labeled the show messy and criticized Adam Rayner s performance as Barry Rayner is so bland so lacking in charisma in the role Barry is by nature a quieter more reserved character but there are ways to play silence that aren t remotely this dull that it s baffling that Gordon and company would go to the trouble and risk the justifiable anger over the casting 15 Some reviews were more positive Melissa Maerz at Entertainment Weekly gave the show a B enjoying it but admitting that the show could use some work With so much attention focused on this American series set in the Middle East Tyrant is already an important show Now it just has to prove that it s also a good one 16 At The Arizona Republic Randy Cordova wrote that the first season was one of the most overheated programs on TV in the best sense of the word 17 He also praised Barhom s work saying the actor overshadowed Rayner Through his layered performance Barhom brings a smoldering intensity to the role and practically drips with testosterone Cordova writes 17 The show s depiction of Jamal al Fayeed as a rapist was also criticized Maureen Ryan at The Huffington Post accused the show of using Jamal s sexual assaults to add edge and atmosphere to the show The women in these scenes are devices they are there to create an atmosphere of danger or to move the plot along 18 The A V Club s Emily VanDerWerff also agreed that the sexual assaults were used as plot devices The pilot is far too cavalier about throwing around sexual assault as a plot point even if it s trying to make a point about women s rights in Middle Eastern nations She added that the scenes leave a bad taste in the mouth 19 Ratings Edit Tyrant U S viewers per episode millions Graphs are temporarily unavailable due to technical issues SeasonEpisode numberAverage12345678910111212 101 391 711 571 501 431 341 531 451 52 1 5521 061 151 101 241 161 081 201 131 351 201 231 251 1831 040 710 740 780 830 770 620 810 830 72 0 78Audience measurement performed by Nielsen Media Research 20 Home media EditOn January 13 2015 Fox Home Entertainment released the first season of Tyrant on DVD 21 As of June 14 2016 the 2nd season on DVD is available for purchase on Amazon but is manufactured on demand The third and final season was released on DVD on August 8 2017 As of September 24 2020 the series is available for streaming on Hulu References Edit Andreeva Nellie December 11 2013 FX Drama Tyrant From Howard Gordon Gideon Raff Craig Wright Ordered To Series Deadline Hollywood Retrieved February 21 2014 Bianco Robert January 15 2014 FX finds a Tyrant in the Middle East USA Today Retrieved February 21 2014 Bibel Sara September 18 2014 Tyrant Renewed for Season Two by FX TV by the Numbers Archived from the original on September 20 2014 Retrieved September 18 2014 Petski Denise October 8 2015 Tyrant Renewed For Season 3 On FX Deadline Hollywood Retrieved October 8 2015 Tyrant All New Season Coming This Summer Ep 0 Sn 3 FX Networks www fxnetworks com Archived from the original on 2016 04 11 Patten Dominic September 7 2016 FX Cancels Tyrant After Three Seasons Last Episode Airs Tonight Deadline Hollywood Retrieved September 7 2016 a b c d e f g Willmore Alison January 16 2014 Why FX s Middle Eastern Drama Tyrant Promises to Be One of the Year s Most Hot Button Series Indiewire Retrieved February 21 2014 Maerz Melissa August 1 2014 Tyrant 2014 Entertainment Weekly Retrieved August 19 2014 Justin Kirk as John Tucker FX Retrieved August 19 2014 Press Viva Sarah January 23 2014 FX s New TV Series Tyrant about Syrian leader is made in Israel ISRAEL21c Retrieved April 25 2014 Tyrant Moves to Turkey Amid Gaza Strip Violence The Hollywood Reporter July 14 2014 Andreeva Nellie July 21 2014 FX s Tyrant To Stay In Turkey For Remainder Of Season 1 Shoot Deadline Hollywood Retrieved June 26 2019 Tyrant Season 1 Metacritic Retrieved July 3 2014 Tyrant Season 1 2014 Rotten Tomatoes Retrieved July 3 2014 Sepinwall Alan June 23 2014 Review FX s Tyrant HitFix Retrieved June 25 2014 Maerz Melissa July 2 2014 Tyrant Review Entertainment Weekly Retrieved July 2 2014 a b Cordova Randy Stars of FX drama Tyrant talk about second season The Arizona Republic June 10 2015 Ryan Maureen June 24 2014 Tyrant s Rape Cliches Are Just The Last Straw The Huffington Post Retrieved June 25 2014 VanDerWerff Emily June 24 2014 Tyrant revels in the seductive power of boredom The A V Club Retrieved June 25 2014 For the first season see Tyrant Season One Ratings TV by the Numbers September 18 2014 Archived from the original on September 22 2017 Retrieved September 22 2017 For the second season see Tyrant Season Two Ratings TV by the Numbers October 8 2015 Archived from the original on September 22 2017 Retrieved September 22 2017 For the third season see Tyrant Season Three Ratings TV by the Numbers September 8 2016 Archived from the original on September 22 2017 Retrieved September 22 2017 Lambert David November 18 2014 Tyrant Announcement for The Complete 1st Season Date Box Art Extras TVShowsOnDVD com Archived from the original on May 20 2015 Retrieved May 18 2015 External links EditTyrant at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Tyrant TV series amp oldid 1152656075, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
