For some, FX's Tyrant will be just a bit too much "ripped from the headlines" in its subject matter. For others, it will be a thought-provoking break from the typical summer fare that requires little emotional or intellectual involvement.
Whichever, Season 3 debuts at 9 p.m. Wednesday with the promise of more Middle Eastern drama and intrigue. Here's a reminder of what Tyrant is about.
The series follows the saga of an American family caught up in the struggles of the unstable Middle Eastern (fictitious) country of Abuddin (ah-boo-DEEN).
The drama stars American/British actor Adam Rayner as Bassam "Barry" Al-Fayeed, the youngest son of Abuddin's dictator, who went to America years before to attend medical school, stayed, got married and had a family.
Barry returned to his homeland for his nephew's wedding and brought his American wife Molly (Jennifer Finnigan), and their teenage children, Emma (Anne Winters) and Sammy (Noah Silver).
Sammy is gay, which brings about a different sort of drama in the Middle East.
Barry was immediately caught up in the tangled politics that have swirled around his family since his youth. Central to all this is his brutal and unstable brother Jamal (Ashraf Barhom), who assumed the presidency when their father died.
After being invited to stay, Barry decided to join his brother's cabinet in an idealistic desire to bring humanitarian reform to his homeland. That's not going to happen under Jamal's harsh rule. Tension ensued.
Barry worked with the United States to initiate a coup. It failed, and he was sentenced to death. Jamal faked Barry's execution, but dumped him in the desert to die, where he was rescued by a Bedouin family.
Assuming an alias, Barry joined the insurgency against his brother. Meanwhile, back at the palace, Jamal's wife, Leila (Moran Atias), secretly plotted against her husband in favor of their son, Ahmed (Cameron Gharaee).
However, the family unified in the face of an outside attack by the caliphate and the invasion was turned back.
So all is good, right? Nope. Just as Jamal prepared to deliver his victory speech, he was shot and seriously wounded by his daughter-in-law Nusrat (Sibylla Deen), whom he had raped on her wedding night.
This season Barry has to step up as interim president and hold a democratic election. Tension escalates when he receives unsolicited support from U.S. Gen. William Cogswell (Chris Noth), a guy who just happens to have a history with Jamal's wife.
That's where we stand as Season 3 gets underway.
Parental warning: Tyrant is rated TV-MA (V,S,L) for violence, sexual activity and crude/indecent language.
Trivia: The first two seasons were filmed in Israel and Morocco, but due to ongoing violence between Hamas and Israel, production for Season 3 moved from Israel to Istanbul and Budapest, Hungary.
Also, sensitive to political reality, the producers are careful not to mention any particular religious sects or suggest that Abuddin is based on one particular country.
OTHER STUFF
• The Greeks. The finale of this series, "Chasing Greatness," airs at 8 p.m. today on AETN and deals with the years leading up to the Greek golden age. That, if you recall your Western Civ classes, gave rise to, well, Western civilization.
The episode includes the defeat of the Persian Empire and construction of the Parthenon.
• YouTube. The Google-owned streaming service YouTube Red has bought Step Up, its first big time Hollywood TV drama, in hopes of competing with players such as Netflix and traditional cable channels.
The scripted series, based on the dance movie franchise of the same name, will have 10 episodes the first season, each running about 45 minutes.
A YouTube Red subscription goes for $10 a month and offers ad-free videos, exclusive programming and music.
• American Tarzan. This new reality series debuts at 9 p.m. Wednesday on Discovery. Set on the Caribbean island of Dominica, the series features seven survivalists taking on "Mother Nature's most brutal obstacle course." Living off the land, they'll forage and kayak and bushwhack and do other adventurous stuff until one is named the American Tarzan.
And, golly gee, it just so happens The Legend of Tarzan starring Alexander Skarsgard hit theaters Friday. What a coincidence.
• Quack. Season 10 of Duck Dynasty (yes, it's still on) arrives at 8 p.m. Wednesday on A&E.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email: mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Style on 07/05/2016