Apple TV+ review: 'Tehran' is a first-rate Israeli spy series

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Moshe Zonder, who wrote for Netflix's 'Fauda,' has created a compelling spy narrative that's a potential breakout for Apple TV+.

Niv Sultan in
Niv Sultan in "Tehran," premiering Friday, September 25, exclusively on Apple TV+.


Tehran is an immensely thrilling show that's completely unlike anything Apple TV+ has debuted so far. It represents the streaming service's first entry into what's lately become one of the most popular drama genres, the Israeli spy series. Netflix has been importing such shows for the last few years, such as Fauda and Mossad 101, while Showtime's long-running Homeland was based on another such show, Prisoners of War, which itself streams on Hulu.

The first three episodes of Tehran, which was created by Moshe Zonder, the Israeli writer who wrote the acclaimed entire first season of Fauda, debut on September 25. There are then five more episodes arriving weekly on Fridays.

Meet Tamar (or Zhila)

Shervin Alenabi and Niv Sultan in
Shervin Alenabi and Niv Sultan in "Tehran," premiering Friday, September 25, exclusively on Apple TV+.


The premise established in pilot episode is especially intriguing, up there with that of Homeland. It begins on a plane, from Jordan to India, which is suddenly diverted to Tehran. Two passengers, both Israelis, are visibly uneasy about what that means, as is a woman in a burqa, sitting nervously next to a male associate.

Upon landing in Iran, a switch is performed, and we go into the main drive of the show's plot: Israeli Mossad agent Tamar (Niv Sultan) is on a special mission in Tehran, disguised as an Iranian woman named Zhila. In this mission, she's on the run from Faraz (Shaun Taub), a lead investigator for the Revolutionary Guard Corps.

As time goes on, we learn more about Tamar's background. Most compellingly, she was actually born in Iran, lived there as a child, and even has family in that country, decades after the revolution. As for Faraz, he's also given a complicated backstory.

We also get such wonderfully clever details as Tamar pretending to have had a nose job, in order to explain how she looks different to the real woman she's impersonating. It's well-established that this is a world in which minor slip-ups, as simple as using the wrong accent, could mean a great deal of death.

Niv Sultan, a young Israeli actress, commands the screen as the young agent, while Taub, an Iranian-American actor with a long list of Hollywood credits, is equally impressive as the veteran investigator.

International incidents

Shaun Toub in
Shaun Toub in "Tehran," premiering Friday, September 25, exclusively on Apple TV+.


Tehran features plenty of the sort of suspenseful scenes that fans of the genre have come to expect, including multiple instances in which the protagonist just misses getting caught. There's an especially well-crafted sequence in the third episode, set against the backdrop of a university protest between groups arguing for and against the imposition of modest dress.

As for the geopolitics of it all, Tehran approaches the conflict between Israel and Iran with the intricacies of a Cold War thriller. As it was at the time, there are two sides full of very competent people repeatedly squaring off in minor skirmishes.

Iran, which has been known to crack down on its own filmmakers, would never allow an Israeli series to film on location. So Tehran was shot in Athens, which the production impressively dressed up as the Iranian capital.

As for how the show fits into the often fraught question of Israeli politics, it's an undoubtedly Israeli production, although many of the actors are of Iranian descent, and the show treats both sides of its conflict with dignity. Still, I would imagine that most who have strong feelings about Israel or Iran, for or against, will find something to complain about in how the story of Tehran is told.

Adding to the feel of authenticity and reality in the show, the series characters speak in many languages -- including English, Hebrew and Farsi. It includes subtitles but there is a visceral feel to hearing a variety of languages.

There are also, as is a little more typical of a modern spy show, plenty of gadgets and computer hacking going on. There's just about no use of Apple products, though. In a nod to realism, the computers being used in Iran by hackers look like they're from the early 1990s.

The adventure continues

Zonder, the creator of Tehran, has since signed a first-look deal with Apple, so there's a chance Apple TV+ is aiming at challenging the primacy of Netflix when it comes to being the go-to American streaming service for Israeli shows.

But regardless of what we see in the coming years, Apple TV+ has picked a winner with its first run at the genre. It may not run for eight seasons like Homeland did, but Tehran has a chance to merge as a signature show for Apple TV+.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    I have to see the viewer reviews on IMDB!  Usually, they are the opposite of the paid movie critics.  
  • Reply 2 of 13
    Hope you’re not as wrong about this one as you were about Ted Lasso https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/08/14/apple-tv-review-premise-of-ted-lasso-cant-sustain-a-whole-show
    mjtomlingeorge kaplanwilliamlondonStrangeDaysRayz2016fastasleepflyingdpwatto_cobraSpamSandwich
  • Reply 3 of 13
    Heard from a friend that it is in subtitles since it is in Tehran, Paris and Israel.  Further more, it mostly, talking, with very limited action which is in the 5th episode.
  • Reply 4 of 13
    jffdx said:
    Hope you’re not as wrong about this one as you were about Ted Lasso https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/08/14/apple-tv-review-premise-of-ted-lasso-cant-sustain-a-whole-show
    In fairness, the first three episodes of Ted Lasso only hinted at how good the show was to become. Ep 4 was when it took off. And I did read many reviews of that show which similarly were skeptical of the premise based on three shows. 

    At this point, I’d have to assume Lasso will be among the Emmy nominees next September, as Morning Show was this year, in both writing and acting categories. 
    williamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 13
    Heard from a friend that it is in subtitles since it is in Tehran, Paris and Israel.  Further more, it mostly, talking, with very limited action which is in the 5th episode.
    IRL most spies are not James Bond.
    edited September 2020 williamlondonStrangeDaysfastasleepwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 13
    I like the espionage genre and thought the initial trailer seemed kind of generic despite the Middle East characters and setting being intriguing. I'll probably give it a watch if I end up getting Apple TV+ in a bundle this fall. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 13
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,420member
    I have to see the viewer reviews on IMDB!  Usually, they are the opposite of the paid movie critics.  
    The last thing I have to see is somebody else's interpretation and review of a show. I want to know as little as possible from a review and even eschew trailers until I've seen at least a couple full episodes. So I'm looking forward to this.

    jffdx said:
    Hope you’re not as wrong about this one as you were about Ted Lasso https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/08/14/apple-tv-review-premise-of-ted-lasso-cant-sustain-a-whole-show
    I just read AI's take from your link and hope you're right. I thoroughly enjoy the show and from the first episode. Yes it got even better but I knew it was a keeper from the jump.

    hmlongco said:
    Heard from a friend that it is in subtitles since it is in Tehran, Paris and Israel.  Further more, it mostly, talking, with very limited action which is in the 5th episode.
    IRL most spies are not James Bond.
    This ^. God forbid we have a cerebral series without constant firefights and car chases. Watch out for the fruit stand! Not that there's anything wrong with that... But it's nice to have a thriller instead of an action movie. Devils was a great example of that type of series.


    hmlongcoStrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 13
    jffdx said:
    Hope you’re not as wrong about this one as you were about Ted Lasso https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/08/14/apple-tv-review-premise-of-ted-lasso-cant-sustain-a-whole-show
    Agreed; I don't like sportsball but found Ted Lasso funny and sweet. Just an all-around fun, enjoyable show. More, please.
    flyingdpwatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 13

    Heard from a friend that it is in subtitles since it is in Tehran, Paris and Israel.  Further more, it mostly, talking, with very limited action which is in the 5th episode.
    I like talking. 
    flyingdpfastasleep
  • Reply 10 of 13
    williamhwilliamh Posts: 1,044member
    This is the 4th thing on Apple TV+ that I had any interest in watching. The other three were quite good. This is the first thing I really am excited about. The production quality is awesome. The storyline is gripping. Quite a lot of suspense. Much more realistic than Jack Ryan and I love that. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 13
    Caught them!!! LOL I didn’t know Southwest Airlines flew into Tehran! E1 did anyone catch the SWA aircraft on the “Tehran Airport” tarmac as the Jordanian flight was taking off? 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 13
    If you want a great spy show, I HIGHLY recommend The Bureau (1st season on Prime, or complete on Sundance). It feels grounded in reality and doesn’t insult ones intelligence. I feel its the modern gold standard on espionage TV. I’m only one episode in on Tehran. It’s fine so far, and I’ll keep watching, but I can already tell it’s more “flashy” than the Bureau in it’s style, especially in how they utilize technology. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bureau_(TV_series)
    edited September 2020 watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 13
    williamhwilliamh Posts: 1,044member
    121367 said:
    Caught them!!! LOL I didn’t know Southwest Airlines flew into Tehran! E1 did anyone catch the SWA aircraft on the “Tehran Airport” tarmac as the Jordanian flight was taking off? 
    I haven’t gone back to look but I don’t think you caught them. Southwest Airlines doesn’t fly to Athens either. Must be a different airline. 

    Edit: I did go back and look. I see the plane that the OP spotted.  The color scheme looks like SWA but you can’t read an airline. Considering that the show wasn’t filmed anywhere near a location SWA serves, I still have to think it’s not SWA. Maybe Flybe which does serve Athens. 
    edited September 2020
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