‘Oz’ gets new view in NBC’s ‘Emerald City’

The new NBC series “Emerald City,” co-star Mido Hamada says, isn’t your mother’s “Wizard of Oz.”

“The (classic 1939) movie that was made was more musical and light-hearted,” Hamada said. “This one feels more like ‘Game of Thrones,’ if you subtract the violence, the nudity and the language.”

“Emerald City,” which premieres at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6, with a two-hour episode, begins in fictional Lucas City, Kan. (There is a real Lucas, minus “City,” in Russell County.) Dorothy Gale (played by Adria Arjona, whose credits include HBO’s “True Detective”) is whisked away by a tornado into a mystical land where an all-powerful ruler (Vincent D’Onofrio) faces the wrath of witches and a looming disaster brought on by a mythical force.

“This is definitely not Kansas,” Dorothy says upon seeing her new surroundings.

“It is featured in the show, for sure,” Hamada said.

“Emerald City” is based on the 14-book oeuvre of L. Frank Baum’s books, Hamada says, while the MGM musical concentrated on the early settings.

“It’s a very different take,” Hamada said, brushing off suggestions that the show could be considered dark. “Compared to the Judy Garland version, even a Pixar or Disney movie would be considered dark nowadays.”

Hamada plays Eamonn, described on NBC’s news website as “the Wizard’s most trusted confidant and loyal servant.”

Dorothy’s companions through Oz, he said, would slowly be revealed.

“Through the course of the first season, everybody becomes a character,” he said. “In the other version, everyone was their character from the get-go.

“It’s not obvious from the first moment that you watch it,” he added.

Born in Egypt and raised in Germany, the 45-year-old Hamada recalls annual showings of “The Wizard of Oz” on TV during his childhood.

“It wasn’t a huge, massive thing like it was in the U.S.,” he said in a phone interview from England, where he was celebrating the holidays with his wife’s family.

Hamada’s onscreen credits include conspirator Samir Mehran in TV’s “24” and a terrorist known as “M.M.” in Showtime’s “Homeland,” as well as a role as “The Butcher” in the movie “American Sniper.”

He said he can’t really compare his past roles to his current project.

“It’s a completely different genre,” he said. “This is a fantasy world with people riding horses and swinging swords and witches and wizards. It’s a heightened reality that’s different from other things I’ve done.

“We’re living in a place where we can make up all the rules. Oz doesn’t exist, so you can create it in your head and invent,” he added. “In a show like ‘24’ or ‘Homeland,’ you’re burdened by reality.”

Hamada also has a role in the upcoming Starz drama “Counterpart,” starring Oscar winner J.K. Simmons, which will also debut later this year.

Filming for “Emerald City” began in November 2015 in Barcelona and throughout Spain and in the mountains of Croatia. After a Christmas break, filming in early 2016 was concentrated in Budapest, Hungary.

Once he got the part, Hamada said, he didn’t watch the 1939 movie nor read Baum’s collection of books.

“I just went by the script,” he said.

And even though there’s devotion to the original, and offshoots such as Broadway’s hit “Wicked,” Hamada said he hopes “Wizard” fans give “Emerald City” a chance.

“Hopefully this will be the ‘Oz’ they remember from now on in,” he said.

This story was originally published December 29, 2016 at 10:39 AM with the headline "‘Oz’ gets new view in NBC’s ‘Emerald City’."