“We’re so proud of Tyrant’s performance throughout its first season,” said Presidents of Original Programming for FX Networks and FX Productions Nick Grad.  “Howard Gordon is one of the best and most successful producers in this business.  His ability to combine intelligent, edge-of-your-seat storytelling with events from the current geopolitical climate is truly groundbreaking.  We look forward to seeing how Tyrant grows in season two.”

Created by Gideon Raff (Homeland) and executive produced by Howard Gordon (24), Tyrant tells the story of Bassam “Barry” Al-Fayeed (Adam Rayner), the son of a dictator of war-torn Abuddin. After exiling himself in the United States for the past two decades, he decides to return home for his nephew’s wedding. Once there, though, he gets drawn back into the life he left behind, forced to navigate the familial and national politics that were the catalysts for his fleeing to the US. The series, which averaged 5.1 million total viewers and 2.3 million adults 18-49 in L+7 numbers, also stars Jennifer Finnigan (The Bold and the Beautiful), Moran Atias (The Next Three Days), Justin Kirk (Weeds), Ashraf Barhom (The Kingdom), and Fares Fares (Zero Dark Thirty).

Production on the second season of Tyrant is slated to begin next spring. All 10 episodes of the show’s first season are now available on FXNOW.

What did you think of the first season of Tyrant? Are you surprised that the show was renewed for a second season? Where would you like to see Tyrant go over the course of its next 13 episodes?

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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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““With Tyrant, Howard Gordon, Gideon Raff and Craig Wright have produced a beautiful television pilot that will be a groundbreaking television series. Tyrant introduces characters and a world that have never been explored in a dramatic television series format. There is a reason a bidding war broke out over this project: it grabs you as all great epics do and simply refuses to let go!” said FX Networks CEO John Landgraf.

Tyrant stars Adam Rayner (Hunted) as Bassam “Barry” Al Fayeed, the younger son of the dictator of a war-torn nation. After 20 years away from home, he decides to return for his nephew’s wedding and brings his American wife and children along on the journey. When he gets thrust back into the environment he grew up in, though, Barry is forced to confront the culture clash from having been away from his country’s familial and national politics for two decades. As much as he wants his family to know where he came from and the life that he gave up to come to the United States, allowing them to come to his country of origin might have been the worst move he could have made. The show also stars the likes of Jennifer Finnigan (Monday Mornings), Justin Kirk (Weeds), Ashraf Barhom (Clash of the Titans), Moran Atias (The Next Three Days), and Mehdi Dehbi (The Sun Assassinated).

Will you be watching Tyrant? Do you think the show sounds like a summer series? Can a show set primarily in the Middle East work on American television?

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From Homeland producers Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff, Tyrant tells the story of an American family who becomes drawn into the workings of a Middle Eastern nation. Should the pilot be picked up to series as expected, since a writer’s room has already been formed and scripts have been generated for some time, Six Feet Under‘s Craig Wright will act as showrunner for the first season. Tyrant is one of two high-profile drama pilots currently in contention at the network, with Guillermo del Toro’s vampire thriller The Strain being the other. Fortunately for both, FX is hungry for new programming after shipping several off to spin-off network FXX and it seems likely that each will receive an order for a 13-episode first season in the coming months.

In addition to her role on the TNT medical drama, Finnigan has appeared on the likes of Better with You, Close to Home, and Crossing Jordan, while winning three Daytime Emmy Awards for her time as Bridget Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful. She joins a cast that includes the likes of Noah Silver (The Borgias), Anne Winters (The Fosters), Mehdi Dehbi (The Other Son), Moran Atias (The Next Three Days), Justin Kirk (Weeds), Sibylla Deen (Home and Away), Jordana Spiro (My Boys), and Fares Fares (Zero Dark Thirty).

Production on Tyrant is set to begin later this year in Morocco.

Does Tyrant sound like something you would watch? Is Finnigan the type of actress who can carry a role like this? Who else would you like to see join the cast?

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From Howard Gordon (24, Homeland) and Gideon Raff (Homeland), Tyrant tells the story of an unassuming American family who are lured into the web of treachery, deceit, and absolute power of a Middle Eastern nation. Should the pilot be picked up to series, which looks like a distinct possibility considering that there’s already a writer’s room working on additional scripts, the series would be ran by Craig Wright (Six Feet Under).

Tyrant is one of two drama pilots currently in contention at the network, along with Guillermo del Toro’s The Strain, also considered a lock for a series pickup in the near future. While both pilots are from well-respected players in the entertainment business and feature buzzy casting and intriguing premises, the network is in need of additional product now that it has split into two different entities, thus depleting the amount of programming it currently has at its disposal. Even if each didn’t have all the positive factors going for it, they’d likely still be heavily considered for series pickups, considering the space available on the network.

In addition to his role in the Oscar-nominated 2012 film, Fares has appeared in the likes of Safe House, Easy Money, and Kill Your Darlings. Should Tyrant go to series, it would be his first American television role following appearances in Swedish series Golden Brown Eyes and Maria Wern. He joins a cast that includes the likes of Jordana Spiro (The Mob Doctor) as a cultural attaché and Justin Kirk (Weeds) as an American diplomat.

Does Tyrant sound like something you would watch? Who else would you like to see join the cast? Would the series fit alongside dramas like The Americans, The Bridge, and American Horror Story?

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From Homeland‘s Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff, Tyrant follows an unassuming American family who are unknowingly drawn into the inner workings of a Middle Eastern nation. It’s one of two drama pilots currently in contention at the network, along with thriller The Strain from Guillermo del Toro, which is said to be on the cusp of a series order. With FX’s programming needs following their split into two different networks, though, a pickup for The Strain isn’t necessarily a death knell for Tyrant, especially considering the auspices involved in the latter. The pilot, once set to be directed by Ang Lee in his first project following Oscar-winning Life of Pi, will now be helmed by David Yates (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2) and filmed in Morocco, where production is to begin later this year.

In addition to her role on the DOA FOX medical drama, Spiro has appeared on the likes of My Boys, Dexter, and Harry’s Law. She joins a cast that includes Sibylla Deen (Home and Away) as young bride Nusrat, Mehdi Dehbi (The Other Son) as a man assigned to keep the main character’s son out of trouble, and Moran Atias (The Next Three Days) as the wife of the main character’s older brother. The main characters of the series – married couple Barry and Molly, as well as their children, have yet to be cast.

What do you think about the casting of Spiro as Kirk’s wife? Who else would you like to see join the Tyrant cast before production begins? Should the show be picked up to series by FX, when and where would you air it on the schedule?

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One of two drama pilots currently in contention at the network, Tyrant follows an American family that unknowingly gets drawn into the workings of a turbulent Middle Eastern nation. The other pilot in the mix is Guillermo del Toro’s The Strain, but the vampire thriller is said to have a series pickup locked up and all but official; however, all isn’t lost for Tyrant, since the network will be restocking its programming shelves following a split into two separate networks and thus, won’t be making its pickup decisions with an either/or frame of mind.

In addition to his role as Andy Botwin on the Showtime dramedy, which ended its eight-season run last September, Kirk has appeared on the likes of Angels in America, Animal Practice, and Modern Family, while Deen’s TV credits include episodes of Royal Pains and Comedy Inc. The two join a cast that already includes the likes of Mehdi Dehbi (The Other Son) as a man assigned to keep the main character’s son out of trouble and Moran Atias (The Next Three Days) as the wife of the main character’s older brother.

Does Tyrant sound like something that you would be interested in watching? Would a show like this be able to find an audience on basic cable? Who else would you like to see cast on the show?

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To be directed by David Yates, Tyrant follows an American family who are drawn into the workings of a turbulent Middle Eastern nation. The series was created by Gideon Raff (Homeland), who also wrote the pilot, with Howard Gordon (24, Homeland) and Craig Wright (Dirty Sexy Money) helping to develop the fledgling drama. Should FX give it a series order, Wright would act as showrunner.

Tyrant is one of two drama pilots currently in contention at FX, as Guillermo del Toro’s The Strain is further along in its development process with principal photography set to begin in September. Thanks to the network forming FXX and being in need of programming, there’s a strong chance that both Tyrant and The Strain get series orders sometime this year. Among the places they could be slotted in are a fall 2014 spot, thanks to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League jumping networks, and a May 2014 spot as a lead-in for Emmy favorite Louie, which would have returned this summer had Louis C.K. not needed extra time to create a fourth season.

While Dehbi doesn’t have any United States television credits to his name, only having starred as Guillaume in French romantic comedy series Septieme ciel Belgique, Atias has appeared on the likes of Starz’s series adaptation of Crash, Rules of Engagement, and White Collar.

Does Tyrant sound like what could be a great drama? Who else would you like to see cast on the show? Should both Tyrant and The Strain receive series orders?

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