Scripted series · FX
Tyrant
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Adam Rayner
Barry Al Fayeed
32 eps
Jennifer Finnigan
Molly Al Fayeed
32 eps
Moran Atias
Leila Al-Fayeed
32 eps
Ashraf Barhom
Jamal Al Fayeed
32 eps
Noah Silver
Sammy Al Fayeed
32 eps
Natasha Atherton
Maryam
1 eps
Anne Winters
Emma Al Fayeed
32 eps
Sibylla Deen
Nusrat Al Fayeed
32 eps
Waleed Elgadi
Walid Rashid
32 eps
Caroline Boulton
CHB journalist
10 eps
Alice Krige
Amira Al-Fayeed
22 eps
Amir Boutrous
Ziad
10 eps
Ben Tavassoli
Malik
2 eps
Tom Purbeck
Wafiq
5 eps
Nathan Clarke
Munir Al-Yazbek
8 eps
Amira Ghazalla
Nasrin Al-Yazbek
1 eps
Taniel Yusef
Akilah El-Amin
1 eps
Mor Polanuer
Samira
1 eps
Maddison Jaizani
Leila jeune
1 eps
Mohammad Bakri
Sheik Rashid
3 eps
Alaa Safi
Bashir
2 eps
Tom York
Teenage Bassan Al-Fayeed
2 eps
Zina Badran
Dr. Siraj
1 eps
Hayat Kamille
Liberal Woman 3
1 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How Tyrant actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
Tyrant reads strongest on Character Depth, Emotional Weight and Serialized.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
The story of an unassuming American family drawn into the workings of a turbulent Middle Eastern nation. Bassam "Barry" Al Fayeed, the younger son of the dictator of a war-torn nation, ends a self-imposed 20-year exile to return to his homeland, accompanied by his American wife and children, for his nephew's wedding. Barry’s reluctant homecoming leads to a dramatic clash of cultures as he is thrown back into the familial and national politics of his youth.
The run
Seasons
3 seasons · 32 episodes.
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E10
Gone Fishing
On the verge of betraying and displacing Jamal, Barry receives troublesome news that threatens to destroy everything he's worked so hard for. Meanwhile, Jamal's rising suspicions lead him to question the loyalty of those closest to him.
S02E06
The Other Brother
Barry opts to stay in Abbudin and take a stand against the Caliphate. Jamal leans on the Chinese diplomat to promise military support. Sammy is shocked to learn that Abdul has been kidnapped by the Caliphate.
- Directed by Kari Skogland
S02E10
Zanjir
S01E05
Hail Mary
As Jamal prepares to throw down the gauntlet on the thousands of citizens gathered in the Plaza to protest his reign, Barry scrambles to put together a summit in the hopes of avoiding violence and bloodshed.
S02E11
Desert Storm
S01E06
What the World Needs Now
Barry convinces Jamal to meet with exiled opposition leader Sheik Rashid. But when the meeting takes a turn for the worse, Jamal is forced to make a difficult decision that will impact the lives of his family and his country forever.
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Writing
- Kelly WilesWriter
Direction
- Kari SkoglandDirector
- Andrew BernsteinDirector
- Alrick RileyDirector
- Deborah ChowDirector
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- Google Play MoviesBuy
- Fandango At HomeBuy
If you liked this
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Where to go from here
Watch Next
Our editors' suggestion for the show you should start tonight — and why.
The West Wing
1999
Another masterpiece of long-form storytelling, chosen to follow this one.
GuAn
2026
For the nights you want momentum rather than melancholy.
The Chosen
2019
Keep the scale up — another series that spends its budget on screen.
FROM
2022
Continue the epic fantasy journey with another world worth getting lost in.
The Good Doctor
2017
A natural next watch: same ambition, different world.
House of the Dragon
2022
If the world-building is what held you, this is the next map to walk.
Never stop watching
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