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Sleeper Cell (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Sleeper Cell is a one-hour drama on the Showtime network that began airing on December 4, 2005. The tagline
for the first season was "Friends. Neighbors. Husbands. Terrorists." and the tagline for the second season was "Cities. Suburbs. Airports. Targets." The series was nominated for an Emmy award for Outstanding Miniseries. The eight-episode second season of the series, titled Sleeper Cell: American Terror, premiered on December 10, 2006. Both seasons of Sleeper Cell were originally aired in an unusual fashion, by filming the entire season ahead of time and then airing the episodes on consecutive nights, such that each brand new season was aired for the first time over a period of less than two weeks. In Australia, both seasons originally aired on the Showtime Australia
channel in 2006/2007. Re-runs as of 2008 have screened on the showcase channel (part of the Showtime Australia
group of channels).
There are currently (as of May 2011) no definite plans for a continuation of the series. However, Robert Greenblatt, President of Entertainment for Showtime, was reported in July 2007 to have publicly mentioned the possibility of creating a new installment of the series every few years, similar to the structuring of the British television series Prime Suspect, in that there might be an entirely new cast of characters for each season. In this way, the series could become a way to examine the current state of terrorism, and its evolution over time.
As extra material on the first season DVDs reveal, the show was originally named The Cell.
undercover FBI agent who is a Muslim
and embracing Islam
as his religion, is assigned to infiltrate a terrorist sleeper cell that is planning an attack in Los Angeles
. The cell is run by a Muslim extremist named Faris al-Farik. Darwyn is supervised by FBI senior agent Ray Fuller, also a close friend who worries for Darwyn's safety.
In the second season, Darwyn infiltrates a new cell that has formed to avenge the defeat of the original cell. When his second handler, Patrice Serxner, is killed in Sudan
, Darwyn must try to work with yet another handler, Special Agent Russell. Meanwhile, his girlfriend Gayle is drawn deeper into the intrigue when she's caught between Russell, Darwyn and a member of the cell.
The writers once again offered a non-stereotypical mix of cell members, including a white European woman, a Latino-American man and, in a first for American television, a gay Muslim man.
Michael jones
Tagline
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
for the first season was "Friends. Neighbors. Husbands. Terrorists." and the tagline for the second season was "Cities. Suburbs. Airports. Targets." The series was nominated for an Emmy award for Outstanding Miniseries. The eight-episode second season of the series, titled Sleeper Cell: American Terror, premiered on December 10, 2006. Both seasons of Sleeper Cell were originally aired in an unusual fashion, by filming the entire season ahead of time and then airing the episodes on consecutive nights, such that each brand new season was aired for the first time over a period of less than two weeks. In Australia, both seasons originally aired on the Showtime Australia
Showtime Australia
For the American service, see ShowtimeShowtime Movie Channels is an Australian pay-TV movie service, available on the Foxtel, Optus and Austar TV platforms, the service consists of five original channels , three HD simulcasts For the American service, see ShowtimeShowtime Movie Channels is an...
channel in 2006/2007. Re-runs as of 2008 have screened on the showcase channel (part of the Showtime Australia
Showtime Australia
For the American service, see ShowtimeShowtime Movie Channels is an Australian pay-TV movie service, available on the Foxtel, Optus and Austar TV platforms, the service consists of five original channels , three HD simulcasts For the American service, see ShowtimeShowtime Movie Channels is an...
group of channels).
There are currently (as of May 2011) no definite plans for a continuation of the series. However, Robert Greenblatt, President of Entertainment for Showtime, was reported in July 2007 to have publicly mentioned the possibility of creating a new installment of the series every few years, similar to the structuring of the British television series Prime Suspect, in that there might be an entirely new cast of characters for each season. In this way, the series could become a way to examine the current state of terrorism, and its evolution over time.
As extra material on the first season DVDs reveal, the show was originally named The Cell.
Synopsis
Darwyn Al-Sayeed, a 30-year-old AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
undercover FBI agent who is a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
and embracing Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
as his religion, is assigned to infiltrate a terrorist sleeper cell that is planning an attack in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The cell is run by a Muslim extremist named Faris al-Farik. Darwyn is supervised by FBI senior agent Ray Fuller, also a close friend who worries for Darwyn's safety.
In the second season, Darwyn infiltrates a new cell that has formed to avenge the defeat of the original cell. When his second handler, Patrice Serxner, is killed in Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, Darwyn must try to work with yet another handler, Special Agent Russell. Meanwhile, his girlfriend Gayle is drawn deeper into the intrigue when she's caught between Russell, Darwyn and a member of the cell.
The writers once again offered a non-stereotypical mix of cell members, including a white European woman, a Latino-American man and, in a first for American television, a gay Muslim man.
Season 1
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Michael Ealy Michael Ealy Michael Brown , professionally known as Michael Ealy, is an American actor.-Personal life:Ealy was born in Silver Spring, Maryland. He attended Springbrook High School and the University of Maryland, College Park.-Career:... |
Darwyn al-Sayeed (Alias: Darwyn al-Hakim) |
| Oded Fehr Oded Fehr Oded Fehr is an Israeli film and television actor now based in the United States. He is known for his appearance as Ardeth Bay in the 1999 remake of The Mummy and its sequel The Mummy Returns, as well as Carlos Olivera in Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Resident Evil: Extinction and Resident Evil:... |
Faris "Farik" al-Farik / Saad bin Safwan |
| Henri Lubatti Henri Lubatti Henri Lubatti is an American actor.-Life and career:Lubatti was born in Seattle, Washington, to Catherine Lubatti, a travel agency worker who is of French descent, and Henri Lubatti, Sr., a physics professor who is of Italian descent.... |
Ilija Korjenić |
| Alex Nesic Alex Nesic Alexander D. "Alex" Nesic is an American film and television actor, best known for his work in the miniseries Sleeper Cell.-Background:... |
Christian Aumont |
| Blake Shields Blake Shields Blake C. Shields is an American television actor.Shields was born in Ithaca, New York. He is the second child and has one older brother and two younger sisters. He spent most of his childhood globetrotting the world with his family of six until finally settling down in Israel... |
Thomas "Tommy" Allen Emerson |
| Melissa Sagemiller Melissa Sagemiller Melissa Sagemiller is an American television and film actress.-Early life and education:Sagemiller was born in Washington, D.C. to a political activist mother and a professional American football player father, who played in the NFL for the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. She attended... |
Gayle Bishop |
Michael jones
Recurring
- James LeGrosJames LeGrosJames LeGros is an American film and television actor. He is known as a star of independent films with a diversified body of work in the early to mid 1990s.-Personal life:...
-- Special Agent Ray Fuller - Grant HeslovGrant HeslovGrant Heslov is an American actor, film producer, screenwriter and director.-Early life:Heslov was born in Los Angeles, into a Jewish family and was raised in the Palos Verdes area of Los Angeles. He attended Palos Verdes High School, the University of Southern California along with friend Tate...
-- "Bobby" Habib (pilot episode) - Albert Hall -- The Librarian (2 Episodes)
- Leonard A. Anderson -- Masked Gunman/FBI Special Agent Alim Saleh (6 Episodes)
- Joshua Feinman -- FBI Tech (5 episodes)
- Sonya WalgerSonya WalgerSonya Walger is an English actress known for her roles in the ABC series Lost as Penelope "Penny" Widmore, and as Olivia Benford on ABC's FlashForward.-Education:...
-- Special Agent Patrice Serxner (4 Episodes) - Megan WardMegan WardMegan Marie Ward is an American actress best known for her numerous credits in science fiction and horror movies and television series...
-- Mrs. Fuller (3 Episodes) - John Fletcher -- Deputy Attorney General of the US (2 Episodes)
- Ally WalkerAlly WalkerAllene Damian "Ally" Walker is an American actress, producer, director and screenwriter.She is best known for her roles as Doctor Samantha Waters on the NBC crime drama series Profiler , as Agent June Stahl on the FX drama series Sons of Anarchy and as Gloria Shepherd in the Lifetime drama...
-- Lynn Ellen Emerson (3 Episodes) - Raj Mann -- Radical Muslim Man
- Luis Chavez -- Khashul
Season 2
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Michael Ealy Michael Ealy Michael Brown , professionally known as Michael Ealy, is an American actor.-Personal life:Ealy was born in Silver Spring, Maryland. He attended Springbrook High School and the University of Maryland, College Park.-Career:... |
Darwyn al-Sayeed (Alias: Darwyn al-Hakim) |
| Oded Fehr Oded Fehr Oded Fehr is an Israeli film and television actor now based in the United States. He is known for his appearance as Ardeth Bay in the 1999 remake of The Mummy and its sequel The Mummy Returns, as well as Carlos Olivera in Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Resident Evil: Extinction and Resident Evil:... |
Faris "Farik" al-Farik |
| Henri Lubatti Henri Lubatti Henri Lubatti is an American actor.-Life and career:Lubatti was born in Seattle, Washington, to Catherine Lubatti, a travel agency worker who is of French descent, and Henri Lubatti, Sr., a physics professor who is of Italian descent.... |
Ilija Korjenić |
| Omid Abtahi Omid Abtahi Omid Abtahi is an American actor of Iranian origin.- Biography :Before moving to the United States, Abtahi and his family lived in Europe and the Middle East.He grew up in Orange County, California, and graduated from University High School in Irvine.... |
Salim |
| Kevin Alejandro Kevin Alejandro Kevin Michael Alejandro is an American actor. Alejandro may be best known for his roles as Nate Moretta in the series Southland and as Jesus Velasquez in the series True Blood.-Early life:... |
Benito 'Benny' Velasquez |
| Thekla Reuten Thekla Reuten Thekla Simona Gelsomina Reuten is a Dutch actress.Reuten was born in Bussum, Netherlands, the daughter of an Italian mother and a Dutch father. Reuten portrayed Duncan MacLeod's love interest Anna in Highlander: The Source, released in September 2007... |
Mina |
| Melissa Sagemiller Melissa Sagemiller Melissa Sagemiller is an American television and film actress.-Early life and education:Sagemiller was born in Washington, D.C. to a political activist mother and a professional American football player father, who played in the NFL for the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. She attended... |
Gayle Bishop |
Recurring
- Jay R. FergusonJay R. FergusonJay Rowland Ferguson Jr. is an American actor.His notable roles include Taylor Newton in four seasons of the CBS sitcom Evening Shade, and a starring role as Rich Connelly in the 2005 NBC television series Surface, which was originally conceived as a mini-series and then expanded to a run of 15...
-- Special Agent Russell - Michael RadyMichael RadyMichael Rady is an American actor. He was born in Philadelphia and went to the St. Joseph's Prep, a Jesuit prep school in Philadelphia, well known for its excellent theatre program....
- Jason - Susan Pari - Samia
- Sarah ShahiSarah ShahiAahoo Jahansouz "Sarah" Shahi is an American actress and a former NFL Cheerleader. She is probably best known for starring in The L Word as Carmen de la Pica Morales and in Life as Detective Dani Reese...
- Farah - Angela Gots - Carli
Writers
- Ethan Reiff
- Cyrus Voris
- Angel Dean Lopez
- Alexander Woo
- Kamran PashaKamran PashaKamran Pasha is a Hollywood screenwriter, director and novelist. He recently served as a writer and producer on the NBC series Kings, after working as a producer on NBC's Bionic Woman. Previously, he served as a co-producer and writer for Sleeper Cell, Showtime Network's terrorism drama...
- Katherine Lingenfelter
- Andrew Barrett
- Nina Fiore (writers' assistant)
Directors
- Ziad Doueiri
- Guy FerlandGuy FerlandGuy Ferland is an American film and television director.-Career:After Alfred Hitchcock's 1946 film Notorious inspired him to become a filmmaker, Ferland went on to study cinema production at the University of Southern California's School of Cinema and Television, graduating in 1988, and received...
- Nick GomezNick GomezNick Gomez is an American film director and actor. He has directed for a number of television and film studios. He has also acted in a few minor films...
- Leon IchasoLeon Ichaso-Early life and education:Leon Ichaso was born in Havana August 3, 1948, into a family of well-known writers, journalists and artists. His father, Justo Rodríguez Santos, was one of Cuba's most respected poets and a pioneer in broadcast TV and radio -and his mother Antonia Ichaso had a radio...
- Leslie LibmanLeslie LibmanLeslie Libman is an American television director. She also directed commercials and music videos.-Television work:Since 1995 she works primarily as a TV director on a number of television series, most notably directing multiple episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street, The 4400 and NCIS. Other...
- Vondie Curtis-HallVondie Curtis-HallVondie Curtis-Hall is an American actor and film director.As an actor, he is best known for his role as Dr. Dennis Hancock on the CBS medical drama Chicago Hope created by David E. Kelley.-Early life:...
- Charles S. DuttonCharles S. DuttonCharles Stanley Dutton is an American stage, film, and television actor and director. He is perhaps best known for his roles as "Fortune" in the film Rudy and "Dillon" in Alien 3...
- Clark JohnsonClark JohnsonClark Johnson , sometimes credited as Clark 'Slappy' Jackson, Clarque Johnson, and J. Clark Johnson, is an American actor and director who has worked in both television and film.-Early years:...
(Pilot Episode)
Sound Department
- Paul HaslingerPaul HaslingerPaul Haslinger is an Austrian-born composer and musician currently based in Los Angeles, California.- Life and career :...
(Composer) - Joe Earle (Sound Re-Recording Mixer)
- Elmo Ponsdomenech (Sound Re-Recording Mixer)
- Mark Kamps (Supervising Sound Editor)
- Kevin Roache (Sound Recordist)
- Matt Fausak (Music Editor)
2009 broadcast
DirecTV's The 101 Network and DirecTV on Demand began airing the miniseries on January 28, 2009. http://directv.comRegion 1
| DVD Name | Release Date | |Ep # | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleeper Cell | March 14, 2006 | 10 | The entire first season of Sleeper Cell was released as a widescreen Widescreen Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film.... three-disc Region 1 DVD DVD A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions.... box set in the U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... on March 14, 2006. It was distributed by Showtime Entertainment. In addition to all the episodes that had aired, it included several DVD extras such as episode commentaries by executive producers Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris, behind-the-scenes footage and making-of features as well as deleted scenes Deleted Scenes A deleted scene is a scene removed from or replaced by another scene in the final version of a film or television series.It may also refer to:* "Deleted Scenes", an episode of the Adult Swim animated television series, Aqua Teen Hunger Force... with optional commentary. |
| Sleeper Cell: American Terror - The Complete Second Season | March 20, 2007 | 8 | The entire second season of Sleeper Cell: American Terror was released as a three-disc Region 1 DVD box set in the U.S. on March 20, 2007. The box for the DVD mistakenly lists the Season 1 cast on the back. |
Region 2
| DVD Name | Release Date | |Ep # | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleeper Cell | September 18, 2006 | 10 | The entire first season of Sleeper Cell was released as a widescreen Widescreen Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film.... four-disc Region 2 DVD DVD A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions.... digipak Digipak Digipak is a patented style of CD, DVD or BD packaging, and is a registered trademark of AGI World Ltd., an Atlas Holdings company.-Features:... in Europe Europe Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting... on September 18, 2006. It was distributed by Tla Releasing. In addition to all the episodes that had aired, it included the same DVD extras as the Region 1 release, such as episode commentaries by executive producers Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris, behind-the-scenes footage and making-of features as well as deleted scenes Deleted Scenes A deleted scene is a scene removed from or replaced by another scene in the final version of a film or television series.It may also refer to:* "Deleted Scenes", an episode of the Adult Swim animated television series, Aqua Teen Hunger Force... with optional commentary. |
Region 4
| DVD Name | Release Date | |Ep # | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleeper Cell | August 17, 2006 | 10 | The entire first season of Sleeper Cell was released as a widescreen Widescreen Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film.... four-disc Region 4 DVD DVD A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions.... box set in Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... on August 17, 2006. It was distributed by Road Show Video. In addition to all the episodes that had aired, it included DVD extras such as episode commentaries by executive producers Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris, behind-the-scenes footage and making-of features as well as deleted scenes Deleted Scenes A deleted scene is a scene removed from or replaced by another scene in the final version of a film or television series.It may also refer to:* "Deleted Scenes", an episode of the Adult Swim animated television series, Aqua Teen Hunger Force... with optional commentary. In addition to the bonus material included on the Region 1 release, the DVD set featured audio interviews with cast and crew members. |
External links
- Sleeper Cell at Showtime (US only)
- http://www.showtime.com.au/series_list/showcase:Link to showcase (Australia) webpage.
- Henri Lubatti interview on The Gregory Mantell Show
- Robert Greenblatt of Showtime discusses possible future for Sleeper Cell in iF magazine (July 2007)
- Executive producers Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris talk about Sleeper Cell and Muslim stereotypes to Arab media expert Faisal Abbas (September 2006)