Showtime has a long track record of keeping shows on the air for a lengthy amount of time, and on Monday the subscription cable network announced it will be sticking with a couple of its dramas for another TV season. Fans of Homeland or The Affair should be happy to learn that both shows have been renewed for another season. That means Homeland will be back for Season 5 and The Affair will be back for Season 2. Let’s take a look at the longer-running show, first.
Homeland has been around for some time, and actually started out quite well on Showtime, nabbing a strong viewership and critical acclaim during its first season—especially for its leads, played by Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin. Over the last couple of years, the show has suffered from ups and downs critically, but Showtime has been quick to point out that Homeland has totally “rebooted” itself during Season 4 and thus deserves the chance to keep moving forward (a sentiment many others seem to agree with).
The Affair, starring Ruth Wilson and Dominic West, hasn’t seen the success that Homeland has seen, ratings-wise (the network says Homeland averages 6 million total viewers a week). It’s not that The Affair is totally desperate for eyeballs, however. According to Showtime, the fledgling drama does 3.9 million total viewers a week. Unfortunately, 87% of those viewers tune in sometime after the show hits the schedule on Sunday night.
Luckily for Showtime, the subscription cable network doesn’t have to rely on Nielsen ratings and first run viewers as a mark of popularity. Both shows do reasonably well both critically and ratings-wise and that seems to be enough for the network right now. The channel can afford to take a chance on a bipolar female lead or a show about two people from totally different backgrounds embarking on an affair that will have consequences within each of their lives. Both shows offer some heavy subject material, but both shows also explore behavior and personalities in ways that are novel and new for viewers.
Currently, Showtime is airing the fourth season of Homeland on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET. The Affair follows one hour later, hitting the schedule at 10 p.m. ET. If you are interested in the latter, the series premiere is still streaming for free on Showtime’s site.
