How 'Homeland' Reached 8 Seasons - By Re-Inventing Itself Each Year

Co-creators Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon deployed the same methods they used for “24”

To keep “Homeland” alive, co-creators Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon used the same playbook they deployed for “24,” the Fox anti-terrorism drama that reshuffled its deck around star Kiefer Sutherland every year.

“You have an intelligence officer out there combating terrorism,” Gansa told TheWrap. “That that can continue for a long time.”

But “24” was centered more around a premise — an entire season that takes place within one day, with each episode spanning one hour. “Homeland” was initially presented as more a specific story: What happens when a POW who had been presumed dead returns, but a CIA officer suspects him being a terrorist?

Also Read: Inside 'Homeland' Final Season Premiere: Fan Faves Return, a Series Finale Scramble, and Hidden Sushi

That narrative propulsion drove the first season to critical acclaim and multiple Emmys wins. But it was short-lived.

The first three seasons of “Homeland” centered around the relationship between Claire Danes’ CIA officer Carrie Mathison and Damian Lewis’ ex-soldier Nicholas Brody. But it appeared to run out of gas during that third season, which finally put an end to the Brody-led storyline, when the character was killed off.

It was retooled for Season 4, moving Carrie to the Middle East and a virtual overhaul of the cast. That would end up being the case in subsequent seasons as well, which saw Carrie head to Germany, then back to the U.S. (first in Washington, D.C. then later Brooklyn). She begins the eighth and final season released from a Russian prison.

After Brody, the show’s creative team re-centered the series around the relationship between Carrie and her mentor, Saul Berenson, who has been the only other main castmember to stick around through the show’s entire run. “Saul and Carrie, actually, really was always the axis of the series,” Gordon says.

Also Read: 'Homeland': How Carrie Mathison Spends the Final Season in Nick Brody's Shoes

Gansa argues that the Saul-Carrie story was “the story we always meant to tell from the very beginning.” He recalled the very first scene between the two in the pilot episode, when Carrie first tells Saul she suspects Brody has been turned against the U.S.

“There was a moment where, I swear, I knew that we had a show. And that was the very first Carrie-Saul scene,” he said. “Five lines into the into the scene, I was like, this is gonna work.”

After a two-year hiatus, “Homeland” kicks off its endgame on Sunday. Though the show has driven so far past its original premise, Gansa found a way to bring Carrie full circle. She is suffering trauma and falls under suspicion from the U.S. government that she may have been turned into a Russian spy, after spending time as a Russian prisoner.

“We had Carrie herself in captivity for eight or nine months. And that just naturally led to the idea that she would become Nick Brody in a way,” he explained. “For her, the roles were reversed. She’s suspicious of herself.” And with Saul now the National Security Adviser, it puts him potentially at odds with his former mentee.

“This would really be the ultimate test of that relationship,” Gordon says.

When “Homeland” ends it run in a few months, it will exit as the only series in Showtime history to win the Emmy for either Best Drama or Comedy, which it did in stunning fashion in 2012 for its much-celebrated first season. It nearly swept the drama category that year, with both Danes and Lewis taking home the lead actor trophies. Danes would win again in 2013 and get nominated three more years after that.

“Homeland took Showtime to another level. It just did,” said Gary Levine, president of entertainment for Showtime. “I think it took TV to another level but it certainly took Showtime along with it.”

“Homeland” Season 8 premieres Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.

Winter TV 2020: Premiere Dates for New and Returning Shows (Photos)

Winter is well underway and with it, naturally, comes the Winter TV season. In honor of the colder months and their small-screen offerings, TheWrap has rounded up the premiere dates for not just the new and returning shows on Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS and The CW, but also the ones for the eagerly anticipated series hitting cable channels and streaming services this winter. Click through our gallery to find out when your favorite winter shows will be back and when your possible new favorites will debut.

Also Read: Why Netflix Is Betting You’ll Want ‘The Witcher’ Season 2 – Before You’ve Seen Season 1
ABC/AMC/NBC/Netflix
Series: "Dracula" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Saturday, Jan. 4 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Say Yes to the Dress: America" Net: TLC Premiere Date: Saturday, Jan. 4 Time: 8 p.m.
TLC
Series: "Sister Wives" Net: TLC Premiere Date: Sunday, Jan. 5 Time: 8 p.m.
TLC
Series: "Naked and Afraid: Alone" Net: Discovery Channel Premiere Date: Sunday, Jan. 5 Time: 10 p.m.
Discovery Channel
Series: "America's Got Talent: The Champions" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Monday, Jan. 6 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
Series: "The Bachelor" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Monday, Jan. 6 Time: 8 p.m.
ABC
Series: "Love & Hip Hop: Miami" Net: VH1 Premiere Date: Monday, Jan. 6 Time: 9 p.m.
VH1
Series: "Manifest" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Monday, Jan. 6 Time: 10 p.m.
NBC
Series: "Ellen's Game of Games" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
Series: "Jeopardy: The Greatest of All Time" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7 Time: 8 p.m.
ABC
Series: "Nick Cannon Presents: Wild N' Out" Net: VH1 Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7 Time: 8 p.m.
VH1
Series: "Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7 Time: 9 p.m.
Fox
Series: "The Haves and the Have Nots" Net: OWN Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7 Time: 9 p.m.
OWN
Series: "Schitt's Creek" Net: Pop TV Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7 Time: 9 p.m.
Pop TV
Series: "Vanderpump Rules" Net: Bravo Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7 Time: 9 p.m.
Bravo
Series: "FBI: Most Wanted" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7 Time: 10 p.m.
CBS
Series: "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7 Time: 10 p.m.
NBC
Series: "Cheer" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 8 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Undercover Boss" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 8 Time: 8 p.m.
CBS
Series: "Catfish: The TV Show" Net: MTV Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 8 Time: 8 p.m.
MTV
Series: "Criminal Minds" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 8 Time: 9 p.m.
CBS
Series: "America's Top Dog" Net: A&E Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 8 Time: 9 p.m.
A&E
Series: "Party of Five" Net: Freeform Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 8 Time: 9 p.m.
Freeform
Series: "Medical Police" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 10 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "AJ & The Queen" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 10 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 10 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
Series: "The Outsider" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Sunday, Jan. 12 Time: 9 p.m.
HBO
Series: "The New Pope" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Monday, Jan. 13 Time: 9 p.m.
HBO
Series: "Grace & Frankie" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 15 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "The Magicians" Net: Syfy Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 15 Time: 10 p.m.
Syfy
Series: "68 Whiskey" Net: Paramount Network Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 15 Time: 10 p.m.
Paramount Network
Series: "Listing Impossible" Net: CNBC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 15 Time: 10 p.m.
CNBC
Series: "Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 15 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Grown-ish" Net: Freeform Premiere Date: Thursday, Jan. 16 Time: 8 p.m.
Freeform
Series: "Everything's Gonna Be Okay" Net: Freeform Premiere Date: Thursday, Jan. 16 Time: 8:30 p.m.
Freeform
Series: "Little America" Net: Apple TV+ Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 17 Time: N/A
Apple TV+
Series: "Diary of a Future President" Net: Disney+ Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 17 Time: N/A
Disney+
Series: "Sex Education" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 17 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Seven Worlds, One Planet" Net: BBC America Premiere Date: Saturday, Jan. 18 Time: 9 p.m.
BBC America
Series: "Avenue 5" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Sunday, Jan. 19 Time: 10 p.m.
HBO
Series: "9-1-1: Lone Star" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Sunday, Jan. 19 Time: 10 p.m.
Fox
Series: "Curb Your Enthusiasm" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Sunday, Jan. 19 Time: 10:30 p.m.
HBO
Series: "Brain Games" Net: Nat Geo Premiere Date: Monday, Jan. 20 Time: 9 p.m.
Nat Geo
Series: "Home Town" Net: HGTV Premiere Date: Monday, Jan. 20 Time: 9 p.m.
HGTV
Series: "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 21 Time: 9 p.m.
The CW
Series: "Project Blue Book" Net: History Channel Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 21 Time: 10 p.m.
History
Series: "Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens" Net: Comedy Central Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 22 Time: 10:30 p.m.
Comedy Central
Series: "Star Trek: Picard" Net: CBS All Access Premiere Date: Thursday, Jan. 23 Time: N/A
CBS All Access
Series: "Station 19" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Thursday, Jan. 23 Time: 8 p.m.
ABC
Series: "Outmatched" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Thursday, Jan. 23 Time: 8:30 p.m.
Fox
Series: "The Bold Type" Net: Freeform Premiere Date: Thursday, Jan. 23 Time: 9 p.m.
Freeform
Series: "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 24 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "The Ranch" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 24 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Shrill" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 24 Time: N/A
Hulu
Series: "Goop Lab with Gwyneth Paltrow" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 24 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "The Circus" Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, Jan. 26 Time: 8 p.m.
Showtime
Series: "Our Cartoon President" Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, Jan. 26 Time: 8:30 p.m.
Showtime
Series: "Justin Bieber: Seasons" Net: YouTube Premiere Date: Monday, Jan. 27 Time: N/A
YouTube
Series: "Biggest Loser" Net: USA Network Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 28 Time: 9 p.m.
USA Network
Series: "Miracle Workers: Dark Ages" Net: TBS Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 28 Time: 10:30 p.m.
TBS
Series: "Next in Fashion" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 29 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Miz & Mrs." Net: USA Network Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 29 Time: 10 p.m.
USA Network
Series: "The Stranger" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Thursday, Jan. 30 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "BoJack Horseman" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 31 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer" Net: Amazon Prime Video Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 31 Time: N/A
Amazon Prime Video
Series: "Ragnorak" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 31 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "The Masked Singer" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Sunday, Feb. 2 Time: 10:30 p.m.
Fox
Series: "Manhunt: Deadly Games" Net: Spectrum Premiere Date: Monday, Feb. 3 Time: N/A
Spectrum
Series: "McMillions" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Monday, Feb. 3 Time: 10 p.m.
HBO
Series: "Desus & Mero" Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Monday, Feb. 3 Time: 11 p.m.
Showtime
Series: "Lego Masters" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Wednesday, Feb. 5 Time: 9 p.m.
Getty
Series: "Interrogation" Net: CBS All Access Premiere Date: Thursday, Feb. 6 Time: N/A
CBS All Access
Series: "Katy Keene" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Thursday, Feb. 6 Time: 8 p.m.
The CW
Series: "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Thursday, Feb. 6 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
Series: "The Sinner" Net: USA Network Premiere Date: Thursday, Feb. 6 Time: 9 p.m.
USA Network
Series: "Indebted" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Thursday, Feb. 6 Time: 9:30 p.m.
NBC
Series: "Tommy" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Thursday, Feb. 6 Time: 10 p.m.
CBS
Series: "Briarpatch" Net: USA Network Premiere Date: Thursday, Feb. 6 Time: 10 p.m.
USA Network
Series: "Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet" Net: Apple TV+ Premiere Date: Friday, Feb. 7 Time: N/A
Apple TV+
Series: "Locke & Key" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Feb. 7 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "MacGyver" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Friday, Feb. 7 Time: 8 p.m.
CBS
Series: "High Maintenance" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Friday, Feb. 7 Time: 11 p.m.
HBO
Series: "Homeland" Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, Feb. 9 Time: 9 p.m.
Showtime
Series: "Kidding" Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, Feb. 9 Time: 10 p.m.
Showtime
Series: "Cherish the Day" Net: OWN Premiere Date: Tuesday, Feb. 11 Time: 10 p.m.
OWN
Series: "For Life" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Feb. 11 Time: 10 p.m.
ABC
Series: "Survivor" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Wednesday, Feb. 12 Time: 8 p.m.
CBS
Series: "The Soup" Net: E! Premiere Date: Wednesday, Feb. 12 Time: 10 p.m.
E!
Series: "Narcos: Mexico" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Thursday, Feb. 13 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Love Is Blind" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Thursday, Feb. 13 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "High Fidelity" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, Feb. 14 Time: N/A
Hulu
Series: "Utopia Falls" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, Feb. 14 Time: n/A
Hulu
Series: "Visible: Out on Television" Net: Apple TV+ Premiere Date: Friday, Feb. 14 Time: N/A
Apple TV+
Series: "Outlander" Net: Starz Premiere Date: Sunday, Feb. 16 Time: 8 p.m.
Starz
Series: "American Idol" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Sunday, Feb. 16 Time: 8 p.m.
ABC
Series: "Duncanville" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Sunday, Feb. 16 Time: 8:30 p.m.
Fox
Series: "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" Net: HGTV Premiere Date: Sunday, Feb. 16 Time: 9 p.m.
HGTV
Series: "Good Girls" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Sunday, Feb. 16 Time: 10 p.m.
NBC
Series: "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Sunday, Feb. 16 Time: 11 p.m.
HBO
Series: "Sacred Lies" Net: Facebook Watch Premiere Date: Thursday, Feb. 20 Time: N/A
Facebook Watch
Series: "The Chef Show" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Wednesday, Feb. 19 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Gentefied" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Feb. 21 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Hunters" Net: Amazon Prime Video Premiere Date: Friday, Feb. 21 Time: N/A
Amazon Prime Video
Series: "Better Call Saul" Net: AMC Premiere Date: Sunday, Feb. 23 Time: 10 p.m.
AMC
Series: "The Voice" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Monday, Feb. 24 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
Series: "Little Big Shots" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Monday, Feb. 24 Time: 10 p.m.
NBC
Series: "I Am Not Okay With This" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Wednesday, Feb. 26 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Altered Carbon" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Thursday, Feb. 27 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation" Net: MTV Premiere Date: Thursday, Feb. 27 Time: 8 p.m.
MTV
Series: "RuPaul's Drag Race" Net: Vh1 Premiere Date: Friday, Feb. 28 Time: 8 p.m.
Vh1
Series: "Dispatches From Elsewhere" Net: AMC Premiere Date: Sunday, March 1 Time: 10 p.m.
AMC
Series: "Breeders" Net: FX Premiere Date: Monday, March 2 Time: 10 p.m.
FX
Series: "Twenties" Net: BET Premiere Date: Wednesday, March 4 Time: 10 p.m.
BET
Series: "The Deed: Chicago" Net: CNBC Premiere Date: Wednesday, March 4 Time: 10 p.m.
CNBC
Series: "Dave" Net: FXX Premiere Date: Wednesday, March 4 Time: 10 p.m.
FXX
Series: "Castlevania" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Thursday, March 5 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Devs" Net: FX on Hulu Premiere Date: Thursday, March 5 Time: N/A
FX
Series: "Better Things" Net: FX Premiere Date: Thursday, March 5 Time: 10 p.m.
FX
Series: "Cake" Net: FXX Premiere Date: Thursday, March 5 Time: 10 p.m.
FXX
Series: "Amazing Stories" Net: Apple TV+ Premiere Date: Friday, March 6 Time: N/A
Apple TV+
Series: "Hillary" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, March 6 Time: N/A
Hulu
Series: "The Most Dangerous Animal of All" Net: FX Premiere Date: Friday, March 6 Time: 10 p.m.
FX
Series: "Ride With Norman Reedus" Net: AMC Premiere Date: Sunday, March 8 Time: 11 p.m.
AMC
Series: "Cosmos: Possible Worlds" Net: Nat Geo Premiere Date: Monday, March 9 Time: 9 p.m.
Nat Geo
Series: "Council of Dads" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Tuesday, March 10 Time: 10 p.m.
NBC
Series: "On My Block" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Wednesday, March 11 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Elite" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, March 13 Time: N/A
Netflix
Series: "Flack" Net: Pop TV Premiere Date: Friday, March 13 Time: 10 p.m.
Pop TV
Series: "The Wall" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Sunday, March 15 Time: 7 p.m.
NBC
Series: "Westworld" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Sunday, March 15 Time: 9 p.m.
HBO
Series: "Black Monday" Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, March 15 Time: 10 p.m.
Showtime
Series: "Roswell, New Mexico" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Monday, March 16 Time: 9 p.m.
The CW
Series: "The Plot Against America" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Monday, March 16 Time: 9 p.m.
HBO
Series: "My Brilliant Friend" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Monday, March 16 Time: 10 p.m.
HBO
Series: "Motherland: Fort Salem" Net: Freeform Premiere Date: Wednesday, March 18 Time: 9 p.m.
Freeform
Series: "Little Fires Everywhere" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Wednesday, March 18 Time: N/A
Hulu
Series: "Brockmire" Net: IFC Premiere Date: Wednesday, March 18 Time: 10 p.m.
IFC

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Here’s when 137 broadcast, cable and streaming series debut and come back

Winter is well underway and with it, naturally, comes the Winter TV season. In honor of the colder months and their small-screen offerings, TheWrap has rounded up the premiere dates for not just the new and returning shows on Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS and The CW, but also the ones for the eagerly anticipated series hitting cable channels and streaming services this winter. Click through our gallery to find out when your favorite winter shows will be back and when your possible new favorites will debut.

Also Read: Why Netflix Is Betting You’ll Want ‘The Witcher’ Season 2 – Before You’ve Seen Season 1

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