Messiah (American TV series)

Messiah  is an American thriller television series created by Michael Petroni. It consists of ten episodes, which were released on Netflix on January 1, 2020. The series stars Mehdi Dehbi, Tomer Sisley, Michelle Monaghan, John Ortiz, Melinda Page Hamilton, Stefania LaVie Owen, Jane Adams, Sayyid El Alami, Fares Landoulsi, and Wil Traval.

Premise
The series focuses on the modern world's reaction to a man – who first appears in the Middle East – whose followers claim him to be the eschatological return of ʿĪsā (Jesus in Arabic). His sudden appearance and apparent miracles spark a growing international following, casting doubts around who he really is, a case investigated by a CIA Case Officer.

Main

 * Mehdi Dehbi as al-Masih (Payam Golshiri)
 * Tomer Sisley as Aviram Dahan
 * Michelle Monaghan as CIA Case Officer Eva Geller
 * John Ortiz as Felix Iguero
 * Melinda Page Hamilton as Anna Iguero
 * Stefania LaVie Owen as Rebecca Iguero
 * Jane Adams as Miriam Keneally
 * Sayyid El Alami as Jibril Medina
 * Fares Landoulsi as Samir
 * Wil Traval as Will Mathers

Recurring

 * Philip Baker Hall as Zelman Katz
 * Beau Bridges as Edmund DeGuilles
 * Hugo Armstrong as Ruben
 * Barbara Eve Harris as Katherin
 * Nimrod Hochenberg as Israel
 * Emily Kinney as Staci Kirmani
 * Jackson Hurst as Jonah Kirmani
 * Nicole Rose Scimeca as Raeah Kirmani
 * Makram Khoury as Mullah Omar
 * Ori Pfeffer as Alon
 * Rona-Lee Shimon as Mika Dahan
 * Kenneth Miller as Larry
 * Assaâd Bouab as Qamar Maloof
 * Dermot Mulroney as US President John Young

Development
On November 17, 2017, it was announced that Netflix had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. The series was created by Michael Petroni who is also credited as an executive producer and showrunner of the series. Additional executive producers include Andrew Deane, James McTeigue, Mark Burnett and Roma Downey. Production companies involved with the series include Industry Entertainment and LightWorkers Media. On March 26, 2020, Netflix canceled the series after one season.

Casting
In January 2018, it was announced that John Ortiz, Tomer Sisley and Mehdi Dehbi would star in the series. In May 2018, it was announced that Michelle Monaghan had been cast in a starring role. In June 2018, it was reported that Melinda Page Hamilton, Stefania LaVie Owen, Jane Adams, Sayyid El Alami, Fares Landoulsi and Wil Traval had joined the main cast. In the same month, it was announced that Beau Bridges and Philip Baker Hall had joined the cast in a recurring capacity. This was Hall’s final credit, prior to his death in 2022.

Filming
Principal photography for the first season took place in Amman, Jordan; Albuquerque, Mountainair, Estancia, Belen, Santa Fe and Clines Corners, New Mexico, from June 2018 to August 2018.

Marketing
On December 3, 2019, the official trailer for the series was released by Netflix.

Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 45% approval rating from critics for the first season, based on 29 reviews. Audiences gave the first season an approval rating of 88%. The website's critical consensus states, "A promising premise and superb ensemble can't save Messiah from its own bland storytelling." On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 46 out of 100, based on eight critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

The trailer received negative reception from some Muslim audiences. In December 2019, it was announced in a press conference that The Royal Film Commission of Jordan requested Netflix to refrain from streaming Messiah in the country due to the provocative subject matter and controversial religious content covered in the series.