← Binge

Tehran (2020)

2020 · Action,Crime,Drama · spy-contemporary, political-drama, contemporary-realistic

Tehran poster

Tehran is an Israeli-produced spy thriller (Apple TV+) following a Mossad hacker of Iranian descent who goes undercover inside the country she was born in. What distinguishes it from Western espionage fare is its even-handed moral architecture: both the Israeli intelligence apparatus and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard are portrayed as capable of cruelty and compromise, while ordinary citizens and lower-ranking operatives on both sides earn the audience's sympathy. The multilingual dialogue — Persian, Hebrew, English — and use of Iranian-diaspora actors lend the show an authenticity that Iranian viewers themselves have validated. Pacing is relentlessly propulsive; reviewers binge entire seasons in single sittings. Season 2 adds Glenn Close as an undercover psychiatrist and is widely regarded as a step above the first.

From the reviewers

The fact that the characters all speak in their native language (Persian or Hebrew) adds authenticity to the atmosphere and they are very convincing performers.
Yet another excellent Israeli production which shows a great deal of sympathy to the Iranian characters in the production. Original and intelligent entertainment.
I was pleased that both the Iranian regime and Mossa/Israeli regime were shown as the bad guys with civilians and lesser ranks caught between them. It seemed like a fair balance.
I really was expecting a lot of Anti-Iranian, pro-Israeli propaganda. What I got was one of the best spy thrillers I have seen in a very long while.
Toub gives us such a nuanced portrayal that we feel both repulsion for some of his actions and, yet, by the end, we are rooting for him to survive because we can see that, while he might be misguided at times, he's a man of honour.

Explore all 293 prestige TV dramas on Binge →

The Curator's Index

Binge.

Curated Prestige Streaming

Opening up shop.

← Sightlines · the film atlas
Binge.

Curated Prestige Streaming

Find shows to watch based on real reviewer language. No collaborative filtering, no popularity boost. Your taste is the only algorithm here.

The collection

— shows

Browse the library. Filter by sub-genre, register, era, or popularity tier. Click a show to see its full characterization.

—