If there are any sympathetic TV viewers out there just hoping that Claire Danes’ bi-polar edge-grinder Carrie Mathison would be allowed to live in fictional peace at any point in the near future, this is most definitely not the news for you. But the rest of us can cheer, as Showtime CEO David Nevins has announced the network is trying to lock down a deal that would give us two more seasons of the political thriller Homeland in addition to the upcoming sixth season, meaning we’ll probably still be watching this drama when the next presidential campaign season starts. Huzzah!
It’s definitely good news for drama-hungry fans that we’ll have at least three more years of Homeland to rattle our nerves – and that David Nevins is keeping the door open for whatever may lie beyond those – but the announcement was coupled with the mildly disappointing reveal that Season 6 won’t be premiering at any point in 2016. We will have to wait until at least January 2017 to see the show bringing the shitkicking back to the United States for what will likely be one of the more hectic times in Brooklyn’s recent fictional history. That months-long push back doesn’t make the premiere so much later that we’re rolling up our sleeves and protesting, but I won’t know how to react to Christmas season that isn’t rife with discomfort over Carrie’s latest set of questionable decisions.
The plans were already in place to change up the usual production schedule in order to develop this season’s plot accordingly, and new details have been revealed to tide us over. According to Deadline, Season 6 will focus on the time between a presidential election day and the eventual inauguration, with Brooklyn-residing Carrie working for a foundation providing aid to Muslims living in the U.S., so the clashing ideologies between political parties will definitely be a focus point. And we all know how Homeland is capable of blending in with real life, so the months before this year’s election will likely offer by-the-minute inspiration for the production, which is set to kick off in August in New York.
This will be the first season since the second to take place entirely on U.S. soil, a change from the last two years of Homeland’s location and story switch-ups, possibly proving that creator Alex Gansa has learned from Brody-palooza that this is a show that works best when reinvented each season. As such, it’s impossible to guess where Season 7 or Season 8 would take Homeland, or how much strife will drive these core characters apart before bringing them back together. But as long as the writing stays as sharp as it has been, any story angle could work.
Season 5 of Homeland ended in grim times for one of our favorite characters, though recent good news relieved us of biting our nails with anxiety. While they grow back, we’ll bide our time with the final episodes of House of Lies and the anticipation of Daniel Craig heading to Showtime for an exciting project in the future. As well, we’ll be busy with everything hitting the air this summer, which you can find in our summer premiere schedule.
