"Sleeper Cell" is a departure for American TV — the hero of this 10-part Showtime series about a terrorist cell is a devout Muslim.
So are most of the villains. But the series goes out of its way to make it clear that not all Muslims are terrorists. That those who are terrorists are acting in a way that other Muslims, including the show's central character, find reprehensible.
"The idea of having a Muslim hero in the show was very important," said executive producer Cyrus Voris. "It was sort of a metaphor for the entire series, which is (that) there are Muslims in the United States that are patriotic Americans, and yet the real face of Islam in the United States right now is terrorism. We wanted to deal with both those characters."
"Sleeper Cell" focuses on Darwyn al-Sayeed (Michael Ealy), a young FBI agent who served time in a federal prison to establish his credibility with the forces of Islamic terrorism. After he's released, he makes contact with a cell leader, Farik (Oded Fehr), who's plotting a major attack.
It's sort of "24" spread out over months as Darwyn tries to uncover the plot, feed the information to his superiors at the FBI and prevent not only this attack but others.
It's tense, dark, and — this being subscription cable channel Showtime — very adult, complete with R-rated language, sexual content and some horrific violence.
It's also an attempt to create a reasonably realistic — albeit with an admittedly much-compressed timeline — look inside a terrorist cell. It was also a case of, having set up a "Sleeper Cell" of Muslim terrorists inside the United States, "who, realistically, could actually infiltrate a terrorist cell? We always said, 'Well, it would have to be somebody who is actually a practicing Muslim.' "
And nobody seems worried about the kinds of protests launched by Arab-American groups against "24" last season, because that show portrayed Arab/Muslim terrorists.
"I think this show is a pretty balanced portrayal of what's really out there," Voris said . "I mean, the lead character in our show is a practicing Muslim. And I think that helps sort of balance out the issue of — are we just portraying Islamic terrorist? Because, obviously, we're not."
Actually, the terrorists include a Nordic-appearing American and an East European, and the good guys include an Arab-American FBI agent and a Yemeni religious leader. (For that matter, Fehr — who plays the chief terrorist — is an Israeli.)
"I think one of the best things about this show is that it creates an awareness that not only people of Arab descent should be stopped at airports," Ealy said. "There are people who are blond and blue-eyes who are walking through airports that are terrorists. There are people who look exactly like me who are terrorists.
"And that kind of awareness, I think, is extraordinarily important right now."
"Sleeper Cell" premieres Sunday at 11 p.m. on Showtime. Episodes 2-4 debut Monday-Wednesday at 11 p.m.; Episodes 5-8 debut Sunday, Dec. 11-Wednes-day-Dec. 14 at 11 p.m.; and the two-hour finale airs Sunday, Dec. 18 at 9 p.m.
E-mail: pierce@desnews.com