''Sleeper Cell'' is an American one-hour drama on the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

network that began airing on December 4, 2005. The

tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, so ...

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 Movie Channels is a group of Australian pay-TV movie channels, available on the Foxtel, Optus and Austar TV platforms. The service consisted of five original channels (showtime premiere, showcase, showtime action, showtime comedy, showti ...

channel in 2006/2007. Re-runs as of 2008 have screened on the showcase channel (part of the Showtime Australia group of channels). As extra material on the first season DVDs reveal, the show was originally named ''The Cell''.

Synopsis

Darwyn Al-Sayeed, a 30-year-old

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

undercover

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

agent who is a

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

and embracing

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

as his religion, is assigned to infiltrate a

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

sleeper cell A clandestine cell system is a method for organizing a group of people (such as resistance fighters, sleeper agents, mobsters, or terrorists) such that such people can more effectively resist penetration by an opposing organization (such as l ...

that is planning an attack in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. The cell is run by an Arab extremist named Faris al-Farik who disguises himself as a

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

. The members of the cell come from a variety of racial backgrounds and conflicting personalities. The series also portrays the hypocrisy and dichotomy of the cell members who claim to be Muslims but engage in behavior that is sinful in Islam (e.g. sex outside marriage) yet they profess a desire to be martyred for Islam. 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 ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

, Darwyn must try to work with yet another handler, Special Agent Russell. Meanwhile, his girlfriend

Gayle Gayle or Gayl may refer to: People * Gayle (given name), people with the given name * Gayle (surname), people with the surname * Gayle (singer) (born 2004), American singer-songwriter Places * Gayle, North Yorkshire, England * Gayle, Jamaica, a ...

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.

Cast

Season 1

Recurring

James LeGros James Le Gros () (born April 27, 1962) is an American actor. He was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in ''Living in Oblivion''. Career James Le Gros appeared as Rick in Gus Van Sant's 1989 ...

—Special Agent Ray Fuller * Albert Hall—The Librarian *Michael Desante—FBI Special Agent Alim Saleh * Joshua Feinman—FBI Tech *

Sonya Walger Sonya Walger (born 6 June 1974) is a British actress who also holds American citizenship. She had starring roles in the short-lived sitcoms ''The Mind of the Married Man'' (2001–2002) and ''Coupling'' (2003) before landing her role as Penny W ...

—Special Agent Patrice Serxner *

Megan Ward Megan Marie Ward (born September 24, 1969) is an American actress. She is best known for her numerous credits in science fiction and horror movies and television series. In 2007, she joined the cast of the American daytime drama ''General Hospi ...

—Mrs. Fuller *John Fletcher—Deputy Attorney General of the US * Ally Walker—Lynn Ellen Emerson *Raj Mann—Radical Muslim Man *Luis Chavez—Khashul *

Saïd Taghmaoui Saïd Taghmaoui (born 19 July 1973) is a French-American actor and screenwriter. One of his major screen roles was that of Saïd in the 1995 French film ''La Haine'', directed by Mathieu Kassovitz. Taghmaoui has also appeared in a number of Eng ...

—Hamid *Amro Salama-Abbas https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0465353/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast

Season 2

Recurring

Jay R. Ferguson Jay R. Ferguson (born July 25, 1974) is an American actor, known as Taylor Newton in ''Evening Shade'' (1990–1994), Stan Rizzo in ''Mad Men'' (2010–2015), and Ben Olinsky in ''The Conners'' (2018–present). Biography In 1990 Ferguson playe ...

—Special Agent Russell *

Michael Rady Michael Rady (born August 20, 1981) is an American actor. Career Rady made his acting debut in the feature film '' The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants'', playing Kostas Dounas, a role he reprised in the sequel, ''The Sisterhood of the Traveli ...

- Jason * Susan Pari - Samia *

Sarah Shahi Aahoo Jahansouzshahi ( fa, آهو جهانسوز شاهی; born ), known professionally as Sarah Shahi (), is an American actress and former model. She played Carmen on ''The L Word'' in 2005, Kate Reed in the USA Network legal drama ''Fairly Leg ...

- Farah * Angela Gots - Carli *

Yvette Nicole Brown Yvette Nicole Brown (born August 12, 1971) is an American actress, comedian, writer and host. She starred as Shirley Bennett on the NBC sitcom ''Community'', as Dani in the 2015 version of ''The Odd Couple'' on CBS and as Dina Rose on the ABC sit ...

- Fatima

Crew

Writers

Ethan Reiff Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris are American screenwriters and producers. They are known for their work in both feature films and television. Career 1980s Reiff and Voris met while both were undergraduates at New York University's Tisch School of ...

Cyrus Voris Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris are American screenwriters and producers. They are known for their work in both feature films and television. Career 1980s Reiff and Voris met while both were undergraduates at New York University's Tisch School of ...

Angel Dean Lopez In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as wikt:benevolent, benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Oth ...

* Alexander Woo *

Kamran Pasha Kamran Pasha ( ur, ; born on 3 April 1972) is an American Hollywood screenwriter, director and novelist of Pakistani origin. He was a writer and producer on the NBC series '' Kings'', after working as a producer on NBC's '' Bionic Woman''.. Previ ...

Katherine Lingenfelter Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and Catherina, other variations are feminine Given name, names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria ...

* Andrew Barrett *

Nina Fiore Nina Fiore is an American TV and film writer as well as producer. She has written for ''Eureka'' (2006), ''Alphas'' (2014), ''The Vampire Diaries'', '' Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase'', and ''The Handmaid's Tale'' (2017). For her work on '' ...

(writers' assistant)

Directors

Ziad Doueiri Ziad Doueiri ( ar , زياد دويري ; born October 7, 1963) is a Lebanese film director, cinematographer and writer. He is best known for his award-winning films ''West Beirut'' (1998) and '' The Insult'' (2017), a film that was nominated a ...

Guy Ferland Guy Ferland (born February 18, 1966) 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 Sout ...

Nick Gomez Nick Gomez (born April 13, 1963) is an American film director and writer. He has directed for a number of television and film. His first feature-length film was the 1992 movie ''Laws of Gravity'', which won awards at both the Berlin Internatio ...

Leon Ichaso Leon Ichaso (born August 3, 1948) is a Cuban-American writer and film director. Some of his prominent works include El Super, Bitter Sugar, and others. Biography Early life Leon Ichaso was born in Havana, Cuba, on August 3, 1948. Ichaso migrate ...

Leslie Libman Leslie Libman is an American television director. She also directed Television advertisement, commercials and music videos. Television work Since 1995 she works primarily as a TV director on a number of television series, most notably directing ...

Vondie Curtis-Hall Vondie Curtis-Hall is an American actor, screenwriter, film director, and television director. As an actor, he is known for his role as Dr. Dennis Hancock on the CBS medical drama '' Chicago Hope'' created by David E. Kelley and as Ben Urich in ...

Charles S. Dutton Charles Stanley Dutton (born January 30, 1951) is an American actor and director. He is best known for his roles in the television series ''Roc (TV series), Roc'' (1991–1994) and the television film ''The Piano Lesson (film), The Piano Lesson'' ...

Clark Johnson Clark Johnson (born September 10, 1954), is an American-Canadian actor and director who has worked in both television and film. He is best known for his roles as David Jefferson in ''Night Heat'' (1985–1988), Clark Roberts in ''E.N.G.'' (1989� ...

(Pilot Episode)

Sound Department

Paul Haslinger Paul Haslinger (born 11 December 1962) is an Austrian musician and composer. He lives and works in Los Angeles, California. Life and career Early life Haslinger was born and raised in Linz, Austria. He attended high school at Kollegium Aloisi ...

(Composer) * Joe Earle (Sound Re-Recording Mixer) *

Elmo Ponsdomenech Elmo is a red The Muppets, Muppet monster fictional character, character on the long-running PBS/HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street''. A furry red monster who has a falsetto voice and illeism, he hosts the last full five-minut ...

(Sound Re-Recording Mixer) *

Mark Kamps Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Finn ...

(Supervising Sound Editor) *

Kevin Roache Kevin () is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; mga, Caoimhghín ; sga, Cóemgein ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ). The variant ''Kevan'' is anglicized from , an ...

(Sound Recordist) *

Matt Fausak Matt may refer to: *Matt (name), people with the given name ''Matt'' or Matthew, meaning "gift from God", or the surname Matt *In British English, of a surface: having a non-glossy finish, see gloss (material appearance) *Matt, Switzerland, a mu ...

(Music Editor)

Episodes

Season 1: (2005)

Season one aired from December 4, 2005 to December 18, 2005. The original airdates (U.S.) are listed here for each episode.

Season 2: (2006)

Season two aired from December 10, 2006 to December 17, 2006. There were several cast changes in season two.

Thekla Reuten Thekla Simona Gelsomina Reuten (born 16 September 1975) is a Dutch actress. Life and career Reuten was born in Bussum, Netherlands, the daughter of a Dutch father, Joost Reuten, and an Italian mother, who was born in Benabbio near Bagni di Lucc ...

Omid Abtahi Omid Abtahi ( fa, امید ابطحی) is an Iranian-American actor. noorfilmfestival.com Accessed 2016-1-28 He is best known for his roles as Salim in Starz Original '' American Gods'', Doctor Pershing in ''The Mandalorian'' on Disney+, Saleem ...

, and

Kevin Alejandro Kevin Michael Alejandro (born April 7, 1976) is an American actor and film director. He is known for his roles as Nate Moretta in the crime drama ''Southland'', Forklift Mike in '' Parenthood,'' Jesús Velázquez in the supernatural thriller ''T ...

joined the main cast as Mina, Salim and Benny, respectively. The original airdates (U.S.) are listed here for each episode.

Home media

Region 1 DVD

Region 2 DVD

Region 4 DVD

References

External links

* *
Showcase (Australia) webpage about ''Sleeper Cell''
* * * {{Showtime Network programming Serial drama television series Showtime (TV network) original programming Terrorism in television Television shows set in Los Angeles 2000s American television miniseries Television series by CBS Studios 2005 American television series debuts 2006 American television series endings English-language television shows