Israeli Spy Thriller ‘Tehran’ Wins International Emmy for Best Drama Series

Israel Hayom / JNS.org

A scene from the Israeli TV series ‘Tehran.’ Photo: YouTube screenshot.

Israeli spy thriller “Tehran” took home a 2021 International Emmy Award on Monday, winning the Best Drama Series category.

“Tehran,” produced by the Kan public broadcaster and picked up globally by Apple TV+, follows a female Mossad agent who goes undercover on a mission in Iran—to help prepare the ground for an Israeli Defense Forces airstrike on an Iranian nuclear reactor—and unexpectedly falls in love with an Iranian.

The show competed against India’s “Araya,” Chile’s “El Presidente” and the United Kingdom’s “There She Goes.”

“’Tehran’ is not only an espionage series; it’s also about understanding the human behind your enemy,” executive producer Dana Eden said in her acceptance speech.

The cast and crew “work with Iranian actors from all over the world, Iranian refugees that just fled the current regime … we work in collaboration, through love, and we actually found out that we have a lot in common,” she said.

“I think it gives a lot of hope for the future, and I hope that we can walk together, the Iranians and Israelis, in Jerusalem and in Tehran, as friends and not as enemies,” she added.

The show, which has received critical acclaim both inside and outside of Israel, stars Niv Sultan as Tamar, the young Mossad agent, alongside Navid Negahban, Menashe Noy and Shaun Toub. It was written and created by Moshe Zonder, Maor Kohn and Eden.

Zonder also wrote for the critically acclaimed Netflix show “Fauda.”

The second season of the show is currently being filmed in Athens and Oscar-nominated actress Glenn Close has joined the cast. It renewed for a second season in January. The first season premiered on June 22, 2020, in Israel and on Sept. 25 internationally.