Tyrant: Season 1

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 33 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 150 Ratings

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7.8

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7.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 150 Ratings

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Tyrant

Now Playing: Tyrant

Season Details & Credits

FX | Season Premiere Date: June 24, 2014

Starring: Justin Kirk, Jennifer Finnigan, Jennifer Finnigan

Summary: Dr. Barry Al-Fayeed (Adam Rayner) and his family travel from California to his homeland in the Middle East for his nephew's wedding, where he must confront his dictator father and the issues he left behind 20 years ago.

Creator: Craig Wright and Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff

Genre(s): Drama, Action & Adventure, Suspense

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Season 1 Episodes

tbd
S1:E10. Gone Fishing
Air Date: August 26, 2014
tbd
S1:E9. Gaslight
Air Date: August 19, 2014
tbd
S1:E8. Meet the New Boss
Air Date: August 12, 2014

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

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Mixed:

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Critic Reviews

Mark A. Perigard

Jun 24, 2014

Tyrant is the most engrossing new show of the summer.... Gordon’s razor-sharp timing, a skill honed on “24,” serves Tyrant well. Read full review

David Wiegand

Jun 23, 2014

Both "The Godfather" and Tyrant are, at heart, about family dynamics. As the Al-Fayeed story evolves beyond Tuesday's pilot, that fact becomes clearer. Read full review

Joanne Ostrow

Jun 23, 2014

The cinematography is stunning, the music and atmospherics are immersive. With occasional hiccups the acting is mostly subtle. Suspension of disbelief will be required (how else can Bassam/Barry slip out of his father's palace in the middle of the night to rendez-vous with an old journalist buddy?) But Tyrant is worth the effort. Read full review

Tim Goodman

Jun 19, 2014

The pilot is strong and closes with a cliffhanger element that should bring back a sizeable chunk of the tune-in audience.... but having no other episodes to find out in what direction the series wants to go--not just with Barry/Bassam, but where the core of its stories will come from (family or politics), means it’s too early to give a definitive endorsement to Tyrant, despite its potential. Read full review

Willa Paskin

Jun 24, 2014

For all of Tyrant’s big themes, it can feel oddly small. Read full review

Andrew Romano

Jun 25, 2014

The case [ordon and Raff] make on Tyrant isn't particularly convincing, or even all that entertaining. The details are too generic. The conflicts are too simplistic. Abbudin is too unreal. Read full review

Maureen Ryan

Jun 24, 2014

It's surprising to me that this ever got past the development stage, because nothing about Tyrant truly works. It's a halting, strained hodgepodge that ends up being an awkward mixture of bland and offensive. Read full review

SEE ALL 33 REVIEWS

User Score

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7.8

User Reviews

tomanymind

Sep 11, 2014

I really hope there is a season two of this show. I've never written a review before but I didn't wanna leave this one to bored housewives and feminine stick figure guys to trash. This show simply is not for you. Tyrant is the middle eastern Sopranos equivalent. It has the potential toI really hope there is a season two of this show. I've never written a review before but I didn't wanna leave this one to bored housewives and feminine stick figure guys to trash. This show simply is not for you. Tyrant is the middle eastern Sopranos equivalent. It has the potential to be much more. It shows that sometimes you may not get to choose between right and wrong. Sometimes you must choose a lesser evil. Even choosing to do nothing may be the cruelest decision to make. What do I know? Firefly was cancelled on me and even family guy at one point. Bravo tyrant, bravo… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

bob516

Aug 24, 2014

Wow, did not expect this to be a must watch for me. Watching Barry/Bassam trying to stay on the honorable path, while there is such evil underneath is fascinating.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

Lisa24

Jun 25, 2014

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm glad I did not listen to the negative reviews. Many of them seem to have a preconceived notion of what Tyrant should be like based on how they themselves would have written for a fictional show about the Middle East. Please, be my guest - write it. I'll be happy to check it out. But don't punish Tyrant. Yes it is violent, but unfortunately so is GofT, Fargo, 24, Homeland and most of the other top program s. Do not single out this one show and complain about its violence. Yes there is rape. Rape is horrific and should never be treated lightly in programming. But the rape scenes in GofT and Tyrant seem to get more outrage than real rape cases. Please put some of that outrage into getting justice for real life victims and their families (Steubenville). Stereotypes also are everywhere in movies and tv. Look at Sons of Anarchy. Anyone think that a real biker group would get away with the things SAMCRO does? What about the stereotyping and violence in True Detective? Look at the way Southerners are portrayed (FNL) or Italians (the Sopranos) or the countless shows that stereotype black America. It is television! Tyrant is a entertaining show. Because it is a show about the Middle East we need to walk on eggshells? It has to be politically correct? Personally I find it nice to have a break from all the law/medical drams and "reality" shows. I cannot wait to see how this series unfolds.… Expand

5 of 6 users found this helpful51

Seppo

Jul 1, 2014

I thoroughly agree with Lisa24. The trailers looked so good for this program and when I read the reviews I delayed watching the pilot. When I decided to give it a go, I was so pleasantly surprised. There certainly were some cliches, but I think we have been so accustomed to the anti hero inI thoroughly agree with Lisa24. The trailers looked so good for this program and when I read the reviews I delayed watching the pilot. When I decided to give it a go, I was so pleasantly surprised. There certainly were some cliches, but I think we have been so accustomed to the anti hero in the past decade that critics won't accept anything but that archetype. The Onion AV Club criticized Tyrant because the "evil" brother didn't make evil look fun! I am excited to see where this goes!… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

Nikola

Jul 3, 2014

This tv show is underrated without any reason.
I am very pleased since I watched the first two episodes.
I expect a little more political machinations, mixed with Middle Eastern tyranny. It will be interesting to see how it will develop relationships between brothers Al Fayeed. TheThis tv show is underrated without any reason.
I am very pleased since I watched the first two episodes.
I expect a little more political machinations, mixed with Middle Eastern tyranny.
It will be interesting to see how it will develop relationships between brothers Al Fayeed.
The acting is quite good, although I expected a little more from Adam Rayner in the role Bassam. That is a very good impression left Ashraf Barhom as Jamal.
American families Bassam Al Fayeed led by Jennifer Finnigan as Molly and their two teenage children are very faint in their roles.My compliments go and Moran Atias as Leila Al Fayeed and Justin Kirk as John Tucker: The U.S. diplomat to Abbudin, as well as places where the TV show was recorded.… Expand

5 of 5 users found this helpful50

Beastlord

Jul 17, 2014

Although the plot is fairly preposterous, just the right blend of gritty, convincing character drama makes the show compelling enough to intrigue. The show is wisely set in a fictional country, but the writers do not wash their hands of the consequences of how the setting and characters areAlthough the plot is fairly preposterous, just the right blend of gritty, convincing character drama makes the show compelling enough to intrigue. The show is wisely set in a fictional country, but the writers do not wash their hands of the consequences of how the setting and characters are portrayed. Despite politically polarized viewers' inevitable assertions of insensitivity, characters of all walks of life--Muslim, American, wealthy, poor, gay, straight, terrorist, or tyrant--are variously heroic and flawed. Politics, not Islam, is the motivator behind the violence of the characters, and the religion itself is portrayed like any other--at times beautiful and spiritual, at times a tool in service of ignoble motivations. In fact, the most cynical character may be an American ambassador. If it offends, it offends. But at its heart, Tyrant is a story about characters caught up in a classic struggle between freedom and oppression--not East vs West.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

podaddy

Apr 2, 2015

Glad i held off on reviewing right away. Had I based my review upon the pilot, I would have foolishly fallen in the 8-9 range, but 7 episodes in, the two leads, the brothers, have proven to be incredibly awful characters, as well as actors. The American doctor is just awful, maybe it's theGlad i held off on reviewing right away. Had I based my review upon the pilot, I would have foolishly fallen in the 8-9 range, but 7 episodes in, the two leads, the brothers, have proven to be incredibly awful characters, as well as actors. The American doctor is just awful, maybe it's the dreadful writing and not him, but his character, probably the most interesting at the show's start, has hit rock bottom. The stereotypes that were employed to depict the Tyrant brother were obvious from the start, but the character has grown tired and laughable. And really, the wife of the American doctor, who also happens to be a doctor, is plain ridiculous. They've built up the ruling dictator, the father, to be the equivalent of Sadaam Hussein and she thinks it would be just swell to visit and even better to take the kids along and stay for an indefinite amount of time! Did she not watch CNN or google the Evil Dictator father prior to going there? What mother would want to place her children in such danger? What a joke....completely insulting to it's viewing audience. Maybe they can right some wrongs and make Tyrant interesting, but it seems an impossible task from this vantage point. I've honestly never seen a show start with as much promise get this bad, this quickly. For those looking for an interesting Middle Eastern drama Sundance's "An Honorable Women" looks to be the real deal, something the creators of Tyrant seem incapable of accomplishing… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

SEE ALL 45 REVIEWS

Seasons & Episodes

56

Series Overview
Season 3

58
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: July 6, 2016
Season 2

65
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: June 16, 2015
Season 1

54
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: June 24, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E10. Gone Fishing
  Air Date: August 26, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E9. Gaslight
  Air Date: August 19, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E8. Meet the New Boss
  Air Date: August 12, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E7. Preventative Medicine
  Air Date: August 5, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E6. What the World Needs Now
  Air Date: July 29, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E5. Hail Mary
  Air Date: July 22, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E4. Sins of the Father
  Air Date: July 15, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E3. My Brother's Keeper
  Air Date: July 8, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E2. State of Emergency
  Air Date: July 1, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E1. Pilot
  Air Date: June 24, 2014