Tyrant Teasers: Going Home to a Place You Don’t Belong

FX has released several teasers and an extended first look at upcoming drama Tyrant, one of two new dramas it’ll be premiering this summer.

From Howard Gordon (24), Gideon Raff (Homeland), and Craig Wright (Six Feet Under), the series tells the story of Bassam “Barry” Al Fayeed (Adam Rayner), the second son of the dictator of a Middle Eastern dictator. After escaping his home country of Baladi and putting himself in self-selected exile for many years, Barry has built a steady, quiet life for himself, having gotten married, had two children, and gotten into the world of pediatrics. However, after 20 years away from Baladi, he decides to go back, family in tow, for the wedding of his nephew; he might be happy to get in touch with a part of himself he’s deliberately ignored for a long time, but he’s in for quite a culture shock when he first arrives in the country, particularly once he enters the royal palace his father resides in. Will Barry be able to keep a firm grip on the man he was when he reentered Baladi? Or is there a chance he’ll lose himself in the sand and become someone more in the mold of his father?

In addition to Rayner, Tyrant stars Jennifer Finnigan (Monday Mornings) as Adam’s wife Molly; Ashraf Barhom (The Kingdom) as Barry’s older brother Jamal; Moran Atias (The Next Three Days) as Jamal’s wife Leila; Justin Kirk (Weeds) as U.S. diplomat John Tucker; and Fares Fares (Zero Dark Thirty) as Barry’s friend Fauzi.

The series premiere of Tyrant is set to air Tuesday, June 24th at 10:00 on FX. You can check out a full list of FX and FXX summer premiere dates here.

Will you be watching Tyrant? Do you think a drama primarily set in the Middle East can work on American television? How do you think the series can plausibly keep Barry in Baladi for seasons on end without diminishing its creative credibility?

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