It’s a familiar disclaimer: “Any similarity to actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.” Typically, it serves to cover any issues that might arise from inaccurate portrayals of real people or events, and also to prevent legal action from being taken in response. In the case of the Israeli thriller Tehran, it may indeed be true that it’s purely coincidental that real-world occurrences have potentially made this show feel too close to home, but after a more-than-two-year delay, season three finally arrives in the United States on Apple TV, ready to infuse some nonstop entertainment into a version of a conflict that’s still very much playing out in the Middle East.
Those caught up on this show’s plot (who should feel free to continue reading) will surely still remember the car bomb that took out Milad (Shervin Alenabi), leaving Tamar (Niv Sultan) stranded and on her own in Tehran just after Marjan (Glenn Close) was also killed. It’s an isolating experience for Tamar trying to stay alive and ahead of the Mossad that’s now hunting her, but she has another contact who very much knows who she is and couldn’t be less happy to see her: Faraz (Shaun Toub). Leveraging the fact that he’s aware she’s Mossad, she tries to find the best way back into the good graces of her employers, who have sent an agent known as The Owl (Sasson Gabai) to find her, as Eric Peterson (Hugh Laurie), a South African nuclear inspector, finds himself caught up in an extremely volatile situation with the potential for immeasurably destructive consequences.
After being filmed just before the October 7th attack in Israel and then airing in Israel beginning in December 2024, Tehran makes its way to the United States at a moment where Israel is still largely vilified by much of the global community and Iran’s nuclear arsenal remains very much a question mark, even if Israel’s attack on its facilities appears to have decimated much of what it had. This show has never shied away from its all-too-relevant focus and the fact that it’s very clearly an Israeli production. Sultan posting a video of herself winking after the assassination of Ismail Haniyah in Tehran in July 2024 only further underscores the fact that this show may not be true to life, but it’s clearly meant to mirror it quite a bit, and audiences mistaking it for a dramatization of what’s actually happening is likelier a boon to its appeal and presumably its viewership.
Like Close in season two, the addition of a Western, or at least Western-adjacent, character played by an award-winning name doesn’t serve as a distraction but instead simply expands the story, which is helpful given that Tamar has something else on which to focus and a way to get herself out of trouble. Unlike his star-making role in House, Laurie is considerably more subdued and doesn’t draw much attention, similar to his leading part in the limited series Roadkill. He blends well into the background of the show, with the other new main cast member, Israeli star Gabai, playing a more emphatic addition who swoops in with swift spy skills and shares most of his scenes with Sultan.
It’s hard for this show to fully match the energy and excitement of season one and the way in which Tamar was first snuck into Iran, but having Faraz and his wife Nahid (Shila Ommi) continue to be featured is definitely a plus. Probing Nahid’s true desires as she contemplates what it would mean to leave Iran is a very worthwhile subplot, and seeing Faraz bristle at having to cooperate in even the most minimal way with Tamar is always enjoyable. The pacing of this season remains tight and involving, with eight episodes a sufficient span in which to follow a very specific arc with numerous twists and turns. An early season four renewal and this season’s cliffhanger ending guarantee that there will be a reason to come back for more – however long from now that may be – but Tehran is still a terrific investment for those who want to be engaged and prefer the embellishment of fast-moving action over entirely coherent or airtight plot points.
Season grade: 7/10
