Andrew Doughty
Tyrant
Tyrant, a new FX series that debuted in late June, centers around the return of Bassam “Barry” Al Fayeed to his home land of Abuddin, a fictional war-torn dictatorship country in the Middle East. The middle-aged pediatrician and son of the country’s president, left Abuddin as a teenager and has been living in Los Angeles for 21 years with his wife and two children. At the urging of his family, Al Fayeed elected to return to Abuddin for his nephew’s wedding for the first time in two decades, setting off a chain of monumental events.
Despite a curious series proposition and endless possibilities for plot lines, the show begins to mildly stumble in the early stages of the 10-episode first season. However, as the story develops, viewers are treated to unique characters, including unknown actor Ashraf Barhom as Bassam’s brother, and a bevy of uncomfortably entertaining scenes.
Tyrant is definitely worth a gander.
