Part and parcel of Homeland‘s enduring appeal is the show’s uncanny ability to tap into the current political landscape for narrative inspiration – a trait that is on full display in season 6, which largely takes place between Election Day and inauguration.
Carrie Mathison is back on home soil following her harrowing time in Berlin, and with a further two seasons already in the pipeline, Showtime is confident that its flagship political thriller can remain a fixture of the small-screen landscape for years to come. But according to showrunner and series producer Alex Gansa, Homeland may well bow out after its eighth and final season – not unlike HBO’s current plan for Game of Thrones. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; so often we see shows peter out as they begin to overstay their welcome, and though some feared the absence of Damian Lewis would sink Homeland, Showtime’s thriller has arguably grown since his departure. Gansa, meanwhile, is now beginning to “build the story toward a conclusion.”
Per Deadline:
“I’m absolutely building the story toward a conclusion and, barring unforeseen world events, we do really hope to go abroad for the last two seasons and to end the story there. We also hope to get Carrie back into the intelligence agency business. She’s been out of it now for two seasons and I think it’s time that she goes back into the fold and then winds up doing her job overseas somewhere.
“Really, who knows what’s going to happen? What’s going to happen on the ground in the Middle East? What’s going to happen with the Iranian nuclear deal? What is the United States’ relationship going with Putin going to look like in Russia? These are all the questions that Homeland will be dealing with over the next two seasons, and we’ll take a bit of a wait-and-see posture before we start committing to anything, story-wise.”
Homeland season 6 kicked off its 12-episode run this past weekend with a strong, compelling premiere. Next up is the arrival of “The Man in the Basement” on Sunday, January 22.
