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Tyrant in the Media

David T. Cole

By David T. Cole
in Tyrant [V]

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Rhetorica

Rhetorica

I hope this is good and veers away from stereotypical depictions. It looks promising. 

From Wiki:

While the show is filmed throughout various cities in Israel such as Kfar Saba, Petakh Tikva, and Tel Aviv, the fictional Arab country of "Baladi" is deliberately compiled from mixed elements of a few different actual countries, in order 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 sort of it feels emotionally correct and culturally correct. I think we’re going to try to stay away from names as much as possible."

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MrsRafaelBarba

MrsRafaelBarba

Everytime  I see the promo, Oded Fehr comes to mind.

 

Looks like a project he would've been perfect for IMHO.

 

They get side eye for casting Adam Raynor in the lead, trying to pass him off as Middle Eastern.

 

With that said, it does look interesting and I'm glad to see Ashraf Barhom involved.

 

He was excellent in the 2007 film The Kingdom.  

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scrb

scrb

The Hollywood Reporter article I linked above kind of explains the casting decision ...

 

May not be a satisfactory explanation but it's an explanation.

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xaxat

xaxat

They really could not find a talented Arab actor to play the lead or they did not care enough to bother looking for one? 

 

Seeing that Dominic West was an early option, I don't think they tried to hard. ". . .  the producers wanted an actor who looked more authentically Middle Eastern." As compared to someone who actually is Middle Eastern.

 

Also from the article, 

 

 

If they had it to do over again, the pilot likely would have been shot in Israel, but the idea was nixed in 2013 for the awkward political optics.

 

But casting a white guy as the lead was OK.

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annlaw78

annlaw78

The matriarch of the family is English, similar to King Abdullah of Jordan's mother, so I think the show expects that to explain why the lead may look more "European." That, and the kingdom is supposed to be set in the Mediterranean-adjacent region of Lebanon/Jordan/Syria, and not a Gulf state. But I get the beef -- there are not a ton of roles for actors from that region or with Arab heritage, so a little more casting authenticity wouldn't hurt.

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voiceover

voiceover

(edited)

Yeah.  As a half-breed Persian, I'm having a bit of an Anna May Wong/Luise Rainer/The Good Earth moment here.  But if he's good, I'll get over it.

 

Shout out to the Oded Fehr shout-out!  In sh'allah, we'll get a guest appearance.

Edited by voiceover
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annlaw78

annlaw78

(edited)

 

Yeah.  As a half-breed Persian, I'm having a bit of an Anna May Wong/Luise Rainer/The Good Earth moment here.  But if he's good, I'll get over it.

I'm willing to give a bit of benefit of the doubt (largely because I like Adam Rayner in the other stuff he's been in, some more high brow (Hunted) than others (Mistresses UK), and I'm glad to see him land another show).  I doubt his portrayal is going to be a Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's abomination. 

 

And the sad reality of American TV is that for some reason, TPTB think that Americans only want to watch shows about Americans, with American accents, in America (it's hard to tell from the previews for this show, but it seems like Rayner has ditched his natural English accent).  How many remakes of popular foreign shows do we need (including, inexplicably, British shows, like Broadchurch, Mistresses, Coupling, etc., wherein the cast is, you know, speaking English), rather than simply broadcasting the originals -- especially given the advent of truncated "prestige TV" seasons, which are more in line with typical English "series" runs. 

Edited by annlaw78
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Constantinople

Constantinople

From Wiki:

While the show is filmed throughout various cities in Israel such as Kfar Saba, Petakh Tikva, and Tel Aviv, the fictional Arab country of "Baladi" is deliberately compiled from mixed elements of a few different actual countries, in order 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 sort of it feels emotionally correct and culturally correct. I think we’re going to try to stay away from names as much as possible."

Makes we wonder what they're going to call Israel.

Hebrewia?

The Republic of Judah?

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SimoneS

SimoneS

(edited)

Alexander Siddig would have been the perfect choice to be Bassam and far more age appropriate for the role. He would be far more recognizable to the U.S. audience and he would have brought his Star Trek fans with him. Given the show's initial low 18-49 demo of 0.6, they desperately need those fans. Talk about allowing shooting yourself in the foot.

 

 

Great article. Thanks for posting the link.

Edited by SimoneS
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eejm

eejm

Alexander Siddig would have been the perfect choice to be Bassam and far more age appropriate for the role. He would be far more recognizable to the U.S. audience and he would have brought his Star Trek fans with him. Given the show's initial low 18-49 demo of 0.6, they desperately need those fans. Talk about allowing shooting yourself in the foot.

 

 

Great article. Thanks for posting the link.

 

Siddig is working on a British series now, so he may not have been available.  While he's of the right age and look, I'm not sure how he'd have played Barry's more cold, calculated side.  Along with Star Trek I've seen him in just a few things, usually playing a gentle and/or heroic character.  Has he ever played someone with a bit more of a villainous side?

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SimoneS

SimoneS

(edited)

Siddig is working on a British series now, so he may not have been available.  While he's of the right age and look, I'm not sure how he'd have played Barry's more cold, calculated side.  Along with Star Trek I've seen him in just a few things, usually playing a gentle and/or heroic character.  Has he ever played someone with a bit more of a villainous side?

 

From the interviews with the producers, it is clear that they never seriously considered casting an Arab actor.  They have no excuse for their stereotyping and limited vision. As for Siddig, Tyrant was filmed last year so he very well might have been available if the producers were remotely interested in casting him in the role. Also, we will never know about Siddig's acting range as long as producers refuse to cast him in roles for which he ideally suited. 

Edited by SimoneS
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scrb

scrb

Reality is that American shows are primarily made for a North American audience, with sales to European markets for additional revenues.

 

It's one thing to have Arab or other ethnic members in the cast but to have one be the central character?

 

It really shouldn't be that surprising.

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annlaw78

annlaw78

(edited)

 

Reality is that American shows are primarily made for a North American audience, with sales to European markets for additional revenues.

 

It's one thing to have Arab or other ethnic members in the cast but to have one be the central character?

 

It really shouldn't be that surprising.

Yeah, how many different ethnicities has Alfred Molina (a Brit with Spanish/Italian heritage) played?  He's been Iranian, French, South American (whatever he was in Raiders of the Lost Ark), Russian, Belgian, Spanish, English, Mexican, German, etc.).  For years, if you had brown hair, you were good to play any part. 

 

That said, I think Rayner "looks" the part of a half English-half Syrian-ish dude fine.  Bashar Assad has blue eyes, too.  I think they're going for a comparison with him -- a Western-educated physician who lived abroad and avoided the "family business" who is drawn back in.  Part of the shock is how can someone who spent years as a mild-mannered physician living in a democratic society can flip into despot-mode. 

 

I do get why it chafes that a central role that could have been filled with a non-white guy went to the white guy.  I hope Rayner proves his casting was worth the controversy.

Edited by annlaw78
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dubbel zout

dubbel zout

Also, we will never know about Siddig's acting range as long as producers refuse to cast him in roles for which he ideally suited.

Watch him in Cairo Time, and you'll get an excellent idea of his range.

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Mozelle

Mozelle

(edited)

Watch him in Cairo Time, and you'll get an excellent idea of his range.

 

My goodness, yes! I love that movie to pieces. I first saw it a month before the protests happened in Egypt, and it spurned in me such desire to travel to Egypt. I watched it again later in the year after the Arab Spring had kicked off. I watched it most recently a few months back. Each and every time I see the movie, I think 1) Alexander Siddig is such a fine, fine, foine man and 2) Alexander Siddig is a wonderful actor. 

Edited by Mozelle
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VLove

VLove

Due to my boyfriend's urging, I just binge watched the series.  I'm a bit confused and have a serious question: Amria Al Fayeed is supposed to be English, correct?  If so, I can *kinda* buy Bassam being half English/half Middle Eastern (kinda)... but is Amira supposed to be Jamal's mother as well?  In my head, Jamal's mother died in childbirth or something and he and Bassam are half brothers.  They don't look related at all (imho).  It's distracting.

 

I'm an American viewer and them speaking English all the time is driving me nuts.  I can understand them speaking to Bassam's family, or the US diplomat in English - but c'mon.  But I guess they would have had to come up with a fake language for the fake country.

 

I, for one, would have loved to see some Persian actors.  That would have been amazing.

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Chrissytd

Chrissytd

(edited)

Any word on the ratings?

 

Wondering if this will be renewed.  Probably the producers need to get an idea of how to plot season 2 and beyond.

 

The premiere got 2.1 million, Episode 2 dropped to 1.385. The lowest rating so far is Episode 7's 1.336. All of the episodes have pulled 0.5-0.6 share in the 18-49 demographic.

 

It's not doing as well The Strain but it's not doing as bad as The Bridge. I think it could go either way.

Edited by Chrissytd
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TheRabbi

TheRabbi

I agree it could go either way.  Another 0.6 this week, which has actually been an extremely steady audience.  As noted, every episode has been 0.5 or 0.6.  It's doing about the same, or a tiny bit better, than Fargo did in the slot a few months back.  It's doing slightly better than The Americans, also on FX, which got renewed.  And its doing better than The Bridge, whose fate is currently unknown.

 

If I had to guess, I'd give it a 60/40 chance of coming back.  The raw numbers tell me it should eke out a renewal, but cost also has to be a driving force, and if something like The Bridge is cheaper to produce (I have no idea if filming in Israel or Turkey drives up or lowers costs), then it could be one or the other.

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scrb

scrb

Is it a bad sign that they haven't renewed it already?

 

Don't they often renew while in season?  We're already up to the finale.  Presumably The Strain is renewed.

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TheRabbi

TheRabbi

Hard to tell.  FX has done both scenarios, most recently renewing The Americans and The Strain mid-season, and Fargo post-season.  Though I think a good PR move would be to renew it next Monday, saying "FX renews Tyrant for season 2 - be sure to catch the finale tomorrow!"  If we don't hear about it by Monday or Tuesday, I'd say the odds go down a bit.

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dubbel zout

dubbel zout

(edited)

The Americans has had a lot of critical praise and attention, which I'm sure contributed to its renewal. Plus, I think it's a much better show in all respects than Tyrant. There's a good idea here, but the follow-through has been shaky.

 

The Bridge won a Peabody Award in 2013, so I think its next season is guaranteed.

Edited by dubbel zout
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lonestar

lonestar

I keep reading about middle eastern characters being miscast or that white people were playing some of the roles.  People should look around the middle east, Syria is filled with extremely pale skinned people with light eyes and light brown hair, same with Jordan.  Viewers are so used to seeing dark, olive skinned people with thick features, dark hair and hairy bodies as being the norm when it isn't.

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bluebonnet

bluebonnet

I keep reading about middle eastern characters being miscast or that white people were playing some of the roles.  People should look around the middle east, Syria is filled with extremely pale skinned people with light eyes and light brown hair, same with Jordan.  Viewers are so used to seeing dark, olive skinned people with thick features, dark hair and hairy bodies as being the norm when it isn't.

Er, I'm pretty sure it has to do with Adam Rayner not being Middle Eastern, regardless of his looks.  More importantly, the problems with casting that have been very much advertised is also cause for concern.  His appearance is easily explained by his mother being English and having light eyes.  Still, as you point out, light eyes isn't uncommon to the Middle East.  Sharbat Gula was the face of Afghanistan for quite some time, after all.  The difference here is that Sharbat Gula is decidedly Middle Eastern while Adam Rayner is not.  Explaining the problem with this would take pages and pages but there are some really good articles online that go into great detail about why the casting for this show was so problematic.  It doesn't have to do with skin or eye color.

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xaxat

xaxat

(edited)

The Tyrant, in real life. 

 

 

 

Syrian politics were far from Suzanne Hitto’s mind when her husband called last year to tell her to hire a lawyer. She had not seen him in months, and he had already surprised her by quitting his job. Her first thought, sitting alone in her home in the Dallas suburb of Murphy, Tex., was that he wanted a divorce.“The reason it’s so urgent,” her husband, Ghassan Hitto, went on, “is that two things may happen next week. First, I am likely to become the prime minister of Syria. And then, there is a chance, I may be assassinated." Mr. Hitto, most recently the director of operations for a Texas-based telecommunications company, became interim prime minister of the Syrian opposition coalition a few days later. What was supposed to have been a two-week trip had evolved into something far more complicated.
Edited by xaxat
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thuganomics85

thuganomics85

(edited)

From a ratings perspective, this makes sense, because it's been constant enough, plus it's higher then other shows (poor, more then likely doomed The Bridge).  I think the only reason it might have taken so long to make a decision was cost and maybe creative decisions, but it sounds like it all worked out.

 

As I said in the finale thread, I'll be back for Ashraf Barhom and Moran Atias, but I hope they fix some of the other issues.  Mainly Molly and the fucking family.  And, maybe give Alice Krige more to do.  And allow Adam Rayner to have more then two facial expressions.  If not, then I'll just keep riding the Team Jamal train, and root for evil!

Edited by thuganomics85
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dubbel zout

dubbel zout

I think the only reason it might have taken so long to make a decision was cost and maybe creative decisions,

They probably had to figure out where they'd film the next season, given how things are in Israel. Looks as if Turkey might become the go-to Middle East stand-in for a while.

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eyetotelescope

eyetotelescope

I'm surprised that this was renewed.  I'll tune in for the next season, though I really have no idea why I keep watching it, considering how many complaints I have every episode.  I think it's just the premise that I really like and can't let go of, rather than the actual show.

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scrb

scrb

Assad gave an interview to some English journalist, denying some of the atrocities he's accused of.

 

Made me think of Tyrant, since Syria would be one of the models.  Of course ISIL has captured the imagination since the end of Tyrant S1, becoming the new number one Islamic enemy of the US, as well as inspire some Muslims from Europe to join them, as well as boast in their grisly videos and dubious social network campaigns.

 

If they air season 2 about a year after season 1, you'd expect production to be happening now, since they're going to do 13 episodes instead of the 10 they got for S1.

 

You wonder if they'll somehow  try to integrate what ISIL is doing.  This past week, Jordan executed some ISIL prisoners after they burned a Jordanian pilot alive.  Supposedly the US is trying to get Arab countries to form ground forces to go to war.

 

Then you have the plunge in oil prices, which might affect Jamal's reign.

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