Apple TV+ thriller series Tehran gets exemption from SAG-AFTRA

Tehran, the Israeli spy thriller broadcast worldwide on Apple TV+, is one of the highest-profile television series to have been awarded an interim SAG-AFTRA deal. The series has been added to the list of productions that have been awarded an exemption by SAG-AFTRA, allowing the production to continue filming despite the actors' strike.

Other high-profile films such as the Dakton Fanning-produced The Watchers and the Sam Raimi-produced Don't Move have also received waivers, as has the hit series The Chosen.



It's not entirely clear how Tehran ended up on this list, as AMPTP member Apple is involved, but we've heard it might have something to do with the series' origins.

Created by Moshe Zonder, Dana Eden and Maor Kohn, the series is produced by Donna and Shula Productions, which was founded by Eden and Shula Spiegel. The series initially aired on the Israeli network Kan 11. Cineflix subsequently acquired the worldwide distribution rights to the series and Apple TV+ subsequently came on board to broadcast the series worldwide.

In February, Apple renewed the series for a third season, and we understand there's about a week left in filming. The series is being shot in Athens, which replaces Tehran, and last week it was reported that filming had stopped.

Apple's involvement is another interesting twist in SAG-AFTRA's initiative to strike interim agreements designed to keep indie productions abiding by SAG-AFTRA's contract terms going on during the strike.

It comes after it was revealed that The Watchers was also on the list, as it was linked to Warner Bros. Discovery's New Line. New Line is on board to distribute the movie, but the movie was a negative pick-me-up and what helped the producers was the fact that the distribution deal wasn't signed yet making it an indie shoot with independent financing.

Tehran, which became the first ever Israeli series to win the Best Drama Series award at the International Emmys, stars Niv Sultan as a hacker agent who infiltrates Iran's capital Tehran under a false identity. The second season starred Glenn Close (Damages) and the third season featured Hugh Laurie (House M.D.).

Executive producers are Eden and Shula Spiegel for Donna and Shula Productions, Alon Aranya for Paper Plane Productions, Julien Leroux for Paper Entertainment, Peter Emerson for Cineflix Studios, Tony Saint, Syrkin, Zonder, Dari Shai Slutzky and Tal Fraifeld for Kan.