• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Tyrant - The Godfather set in the Middle East - Season 2 - Tues on FX

Status
Not open for further replies.
F

foxtrot3d

Banned
kamorra said:
Oh, I was just thinking about starting to watch Homeland. Is it really that bad?
Click to expand...

First season is great, bail out after that it quickly goes down the stupd hole and keeps digging.

Let me further explain why the series will likely not be any good on top of what others have already stated. If the show really is "The Godfather" in the Middle East, well that's just not gonna translate. The Godfather was about a criminal organization, not being the ruler of an entire nation. The movies showed the slow descent of what we initally saw as a good-willed Michael who wanted nothing to do with the "family business" be slowly dragged into the criminal underworld in the hopes of protecting his family and in the process loses himself and everything else.

Thing is running a criminal organization and running a country are two different things, their may be some overlap but not much. In the criminal world Michael had to be violent against his enemies and he had to be ruthless to protect his family. Now while some of this can translate into the political game of ruling that is not all there is to ruling a nation. Michael Corleone did not have to deal with suppressing democracy, the stripping of civil liberties, the inequality of women, the lack of a fair judicial system, etc. If the character in this show does end up having to rule he'll have to deal with this stuff and there is no real way to excuse not doing the right thing in those circumstances. There is no:

"Just when I get out they pull me right back into stripping women of their rights!"

It just doesn't work. And if he does do those things then it' just gonna be a show about transposing Western values into backward Middle East country.
 
G

GameAddict411

Member
I am pretty sure that its going to be filled with a lot of stupid stereotypes, one of the images hints that its filmed in Morocco, is it?
 
I

ivysaur12

Banned
real_slime said:
It's on FX as well, which limits my expectations since it's always pursued shows with some small level of creative weight behind them but goes for pulpy most of the time.
Click to expand...

Fargo, Justified, and The Americans are three of the best dramas on television.


foxtrot3d said:
First season is great, bail out after that it quickly goes down the stupd hole and keeps digging.

Let me further explain why the series will likely not be any good on top of what others have already stated. If the show really is "The Godfather" in the Middle East, well that's just not gonna translate. The Godfather was about a criminal organization, not being the ruler of an entire nation. The movies showed the slow descent of what we initally saw as a good-willed Michael who wanted nothing to do with the "family business" be slowly dragged into the criminal underworld in the hopes of protecting his family and in the process loses himself and everything else.

Thing is running a criminal organization and running a country are two different things, their may be some overlap but not much. In the criminal world Michael had to be violent against his enemies and he had to be ruthless to protect his family. Now while some of this can translate into the political game of ruling that is not all there is to ruling a nation. Michael Corleone did not have to deal with suppressing democracy, the stripping of civil liberties, the inequality of women, the lack of a fair judicial system, etc. If the character in this show does end up having to rule he'll have to deal with this stuff and there is no real way to excuse not doing the right thing in those circumstances. There is no:

"Just when I get out they pull me right back into stripping women of their rights!"

It just doesn't work. And if he does do those things then it' just gonna be a show about transposing Western values into backward Middle East country.
Click to expand...

I would venture a guess that it's just a thread title, not a show that thinks every day "How can we make it The Godfather in the Middle East?"
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
Some choice quotes from the THR article that are relevant to this discussion:

Although stars like Dominic West initially were proposed for the lead role of Barry, the producers wanted an actor who looked more authentically Middle Eastern. Egyptian-American actor Omar Metwally was considered, but there were concerns about his ability to lead a show. Running out of time, they were forced to broaden their parameters.

"Not only did Adam Rayner seem like he could be from the region — he looks strikingly similar to Ashraf [Barhom, an Israeli Arab actor who plays his brother, Jamal] — but also he had the charisma of a lead character," says Raff.
Click to expand...

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. Jordan and Turkey briefly were considered, as was California, which was vetoed because of high production costs that would have added as much as $1 million an episode. Morocco was chosen in the end because it had both a production community and an Arab population from which to cast extras. But without the infrastructure to build a proper soundstage, it quickly became clear that it was not going to be a permanent solution.
Click to expand...

Although it's set in a fictional Middle Eastern country, Abbudin, all those involved recognize how critical it is to accurately portray the realities of the region. Sensitivities are such that ABC Family recently decided to scrap production on Alice in Arabia, another Middle East-themed drama, after outcry from the Council on American-Islamic Relations over "potential stereotyping" on the show. And on May 30, the same advocacy group put out a press release in which it requested a meeting with FX executives to "discuss community concerns about potential Islamophobic stereotyping" on Tyrant.
Click to expand...

Gordon and his new writing staff attended a roundtable discussion in April with five Middle Eastern activists and policy experts curated by MOST (Muslim Public Affairs Council and Muslims on Screen and Television). The participants — two from Egypt, one from Syria and one from Iraq — met in a conference room on the Fox lot for the better part of two hours. During that time, many of them acknowledged that before watching the pilot, they had assumed Tyrant would be just another Hollywood portrayal of terrorists in a disaster zone. "In those 60 minutes, I noted more nuance when portraying the dictators than most major news networks have achieved in all their coverage," says Syrian American participant Hiba Diewati, who had been detained twice in Damascus for peaceful protesting against Assad regime crimes.
Click to expand...
 
C

Cornballer

Member
- Tim Goodman's review for THR (spoilers)
As it stands now, the pilot is strong and entertaining but not immediately a knockout punch.
Click to expand...
Without being able to judge a second, third or fourth episode to see how Tyrant will track, creatively, what ends up being most intriguing is the backstory. And it’s certainly provocative and complex, particularly given its ambition and scope, not to mention the foreign location and politically-charged backdrop for the Godfather-style premise.
Click to expand...
 
H

hydruxo

Member
I'm willing to give this a shot because the plot sounds like it has potential, and FX has had a good track record as of late.
 
P

Poofynamanama

Banned
will check it out since game of thrones and fargo just ended. and all I'm catching up on right now is mad men. this and rectify should hold me over till whatever else comes out :D
 
P

Purple Cheeto

Member
I'm not really sure how I'll feel about this, but at the same time FX has made some of my favorite shows in recent memory (Justified, Terriers, The Americans, Fargo, Archer) so I feel like I should at least try it.
 
O

Opto

Banned
I'm not sure I need to see another guy go down a dark path because of the power he gains corrupts him. :/
 
M

Mars477

Banned
1) Damn, I guess Cinemax aren't going to be doing their miniseries renewal of Hunted are they?

2) Why is the Arab American main character being played by an Anglo Saxon white dude?
 
B

BigDug13

Member
foxtrot3d said:
Looks like something that won't be getting a second season.
Click to expand...

It's not on a major network. How often do FX original shows get cancelled after one season? I honestly can't think of any off the top of my head.

That's part of why I prefer shows on there. Story is more likely to get finished and I feel like each episode in a 12 episode season with the writers getting more time ends up with better quality-per-minute than a 22 episode network series with lots of filler episodes.
 
X

xenist

Member
Yeah, sure. A male soap opera by the geniuses behind Homeland. Pass, unless a flood of good reviews somehow ahppens.
 
B

BeeDog

Member
BigDug13 said:
It's not on a major network. How often do FX original shows get cancelled after one season? I honestly can't think of any off the top of my head.

That's part of why I prefer shows on there. Story is more likely to get finished and I feel like each episode in a 12 episode season with the writers getting more time ends up with better quality-per-minute than a 22 episode network series with lots of filler episodes.
Click to expand...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lights_Out_(2011_TV_series)

:(
 
D

Discotheque

Banned
Zaph said:
Creators of Homeland - featuring heroic Jews and Israelis, and the CIA 'winning' by installing another puppet dictator (because that's always worked out) - making a series about evil Arabs. Great.

But don't worry, I'm sure it'll be okay because the most sadistic ones will be fair skinned, while a dark skinned character tries (and fails) to help things.
Click to expand...

Yeah to hell with this program. Will wait on impressions to see it's not like this
 
D

DerZuhälter

Member
Will watch and enjoy it either way as an Arab.

Either because it's good (unlikely), the bad Arabs are comically evil masterminds(think 24 S4) or it's a complete trainwreck ("Hollywood once again stigmatizing Arabs *rawr rawr rawr*"). But seems to have some good sets at least.

Will recommend it to my brother as well.
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
I must say, I'm surprised to see so many people writing this off without so much as reading a single review or watching the first episode for themselves.

Mars477 said:
1) Damn, I guess Cinemax aren't going to be doing their miniseries renewal of Hunted are they?

2) Why is the Arab American main character being played by an Anglo Saxon white dude?
Click to expand...

1) Probably not, but what does that have to do with Tyrant?

2) "Egyptian-American actor Omar Metwally was considered, but there were concerns about his ability to lead a show. Running out of time, they were forced to broaden their parameters."

BigDug13 said:
Ah, had not ever heard of that show. Ok so it's possible to get cancelled on FX after a season. Still think it's pretty rare.
Click to expand...

One season shows on FX:

Lucky
Starved
Over There
Thief
Testees
Terriers
Light's Out
Unsupervised
Chozen

Most of those are older, though, to be fair. It is fairly rare for a modern FX drama to be cancelled after just one season.
 
A

AuthenticM

Member
Cornballer said:
The pilot was shot in Morocco, but then they moved over to Israel. There's a long explanation of why in the THR article.
Click to expand...

The explanation is just one sentence-long: they couldn't have the soundstage built.

Anyways, this show looks very good. I'm also glad one of the Homeland guy was taken out of the show, as he wanted to add more soap opera elements to it. Fuck that. He was probably the guy who pushed for Carrie x Brody in Homeland to be a thing. Ugh.
 
D

Dan

No longer boycotting the Wolfenstein franchise
RatskyWatsky said:
I must say, I'm surprised to see so many people writing this off without so much as reading a single review or watching the first episode for themselves.
Click to expand...

It could all come crashing down, but damned if it isn't ambitious and attempting something interesting.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
More reviews from a few smaller sources:
EW said:
If there's one thing that saves Tyrant, it's Bassam. By the end of the pilot, he's not the boring, all-moral hero that he seems. Rayner brings a certain quiet intensity to the role, one that suggests Bassam isn't just worried about his father's behavior — he doesn't quite know what he's capable of himself. At this point, we don't quite know either.
Click to expand...
Cleveland Plains Dealer said:
As Barry struggles with his sense of identity, so does this series. There is little consistency of tone here, and the efforts to depict a realistic Middle Eastern political struggle are undermined by campy and melodramatic moments. It's early yet, of course, and "Tyrant" may find itself as the season progresses. A ton of exposition is out of the way with Tuesday's pilot episode, and with that much ground cleared, Gordon and Raff might have a better view. They might just have the vision to see what type of series this should and could be.
Click to expand...
Newsday said:
Think of "Tyrant" as a Mideast reimagining of "The Godfather": Just when he thought he was out, they pulled him back in . . . But overlooking that cliche could be the least of viewers' problems. Content is the much bigger issue here. In the pilot, "Tyrant" at times comes perilously close to embracing derogatory media stereotypes of Arabs.
Click to expand...
LA Daily News said:
All the elements to make “Tyrant” a winner are set up in the first episode. There is plenty of intrigue, and Rayner, a British actor, has a strong presence. There are a couple of warning signs, too, in that some of the possible plotlines look iffy. The show, though, could go in other directions. We’ll see. It is definitely worth a look at episode two, and, if we’re lucky, it could be a must-watch series.
Click to expand...
Fort Worth Star-Telegram said:
The performances are generally strong and it will be intriguing to see where the characters go from here. Though the American family is at the heart of "Tyrant," the series also provides a showcase for many actors of Middle Eastern origin while also offering a glimpse into an often misunderstood culture. If "Tyrant" can get beyond the one-dimensional imagery of dictators and terrorism - and make even its most nasty characters fully-formed human beings - then it might become more than just a bullet-riddled soap opera.
Click to expand...
 
C

Cornballer

Member
TheOddOne said:
Some of those reviews, man. Whoa.
Click to expand...
Not sounding great so far, unfortunately.



A couple more reviews:
Philly.com said:
Tyrant has a compelling, if uneven pilot. But is it a good series? Guess we'll find out in the ensuing weeks.
Click to expand...
The Oregonian said:
A new FX series has a high bar to meet. But "Tyrant," which premieres Tuesday June 24, has a long way to go to become necessary viewing, judging from the first episode.
Click to expand...
 
C

Clipjoint

Member
24 and Homeland are two of the biggest offenders when it comes to stereotyping Arabs in modern American television, so I don't have high hopes for this considering the people producing it.
 
S

Sirpopopop

Member
real_slime said:
This looks bad. It might seem superificial, but the pandering of having some white guy called 'Barry' be the lead and his blonde wife Molly second just gets things off on the whole wrong foot. This looks like it's prioritising popular entertainment over legitimate investigation of its subject area and I'm not too interested in getting another show like that about the middle east - we have had plenty. It's on FX as well, which limits my expectations since it's always pursued shows with some small level of creative weight behind them but goes for pulpy most of the time.
Click to expand...

Not sure I agree with the bolded regarding FX. Most of their stuff is pretty good.

Off the top of my head, you have shows like: The Shield, Lights Out, Fargo, The Americans, Terriers, Justified, etc. on FX. They aren't pulpy at all.
 
M

Memles

Member
Heads up: while all of those reviews were filed based only on the pilot (which some critics saw back in January, and a revised version of which was sent out last week), there will be another string of reviews in the next couple of days based on the first four episodes.

Related heads up: They're definitely not going to get better.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
Memles said:
Heads up: while all of those reviews were filed based only on the pilot (which some critics saw back in January, and a revised version of which was sent out last week), there will be another string of reviews in the next couple of days based on the first four episodes.
Click to expand...
Good news!
Related heads up: They're definitely not going to get better.
Click to expand...
Welp, that's disappointing to hear.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
One more review:
SF Chronicle said:
"Tyrant" has had to overcome so many obstacles on the way to its Tuesday premier on FX, it's a small miracle that it's gotten this far. Now the question is, will American audiences buy into a family drama where the family in question is not only Arab, but headed by the ruthless dictator of a Middle Eastern nation? They should because the series has enough going for it to merit attention, especially beyond the relatively standard-issue pilot episode.
Click to expand...

- USA Today interviews: FX makes a political power play in 'Tyrant'
 
T

TheOddOne

Member
Memles said:
Heads up: while all of those reviews were filed based only on the pilot (which some critics saw back in January, and a revised version of which was sent out last week), there will be another string of reviews in the next couple of days based on the first four episodes.

Related heads up: They're definitely not going to get better.
Click to expand...
tumblr_mokyd2j37T1qk60jto1_500.gif


Oh, boy.
 
N

Nibel

Member
Memles said:
Heads up: while all of those reviews were filed based only on the pilot (which some critics saw back in January, and a revised version of which was sent out last week), there will be another string of reviews in the next couple of days based on the first four episodes.

Related heads up: They're definitely not going to get better.
Click to expand...

Well, I guess that's that then.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

  • Locked
Spring 2016 Season Anime Preview Thread
2 3 4 5
217
30K
Cornbread78 replied
  • Locked
Boardwalk Empire - Season 2 - Sundays on HBO
44 45 46 47 48
2K
141K
Cornballer replied
  • Locked
COMICS! July |OT| - Independents Day
31 32 33 34 35
2K
130K
notworksafe replied
Top Bottom