Glenn Close and Niv Sultan enter the belly of the beast in Tehran’s season two trailer

Apple TV+’s geopolitical thriller Tehran didn’t impress many viewers when it premiered in 2020. Before the Ted Lasso-ing of America, it was difficult to get people to watch anything on that thing. But, of course, that was a different world, a world before Apple had an Oscar and before Tehran had Glenn Close. It still doesn’t seem likely that Tehran, a show about espionage between Israel and Iran, will capture the warmth and empathy of a Ted Lasso. But hey, maybe Tehran will become the next show that people are sick of having recommended to them.

So here it is, the new trailer for the second season of Tehran, a thriller about an Iranian-born Mossad agent who must infiltrate Iran’s nuclear facility. And when that plan goes wrong, well, then you get a season two. If only more super spies knew that failing a mission was a sure-fire way to get an eight-episode pickup.

Here’s the synopsis from Apple:

Tamar (Niv Sultan), a Mossad hacker-agent who infiltrates Tehran under a false identity to help destroy Iran’s nuclear reactor. But when her mission fails, Tamar must plan an operation that will place everyone dear to her in jeopardy. Two-time Emmy Award-winner and Academy Award-nominee Glenn Close joins season two, with Shaun Toub, Shervin Alenabi, Arash Marandi and Shila Ommi also returning

At The A.V. Club, we were mostly lukewarm on the first season of Tehran. Our own Saloni Gajjar described the series as “uneven.” She continues:

By its penultimate episode, Tehran does claw its way out of some of its tangled plotlines to focus on amping up the high-octane factor, delivering some of its best twists and an anticlimactic cliffhanger that could pave the way for a second season. Sultan works hard to sell the material she’s given, but despite an empathetic performance, the limited descriptors for Tamar ultimately make it challenging to invest in her story. It’s Toub’s subdued acting that steals the show.

Tehran returns to Apple TV+ on May 6 with the first two episodes. One episode will premiere weekly through June 17.