"Homeland," the pulpy global spy thriller from Showtime, is nearing a deal for a three-season renewal, Entertainment Weekly reports. Unfortunately, the show's return for a sixth season is being pushed back until January, rather than its usual fall comeback.
Season six of "Homeland" will take place largely in the U.S. after filming the last two seasons in South Africa and Berlin. The new season will begin production in New York in August and will take place, conveniently, during the presidential election cycle. The renewal order includes season six and guarantees "Homeland" a spot on Showtime until at least season eight.
The new season will pick up several months after the conclusion of season five with Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) back stateside and living in Brooklyn, N.Y. Tired of the international rat race, Carrie is working with a foundation that provides aid to Muslims living in the U.S. The new season will explore the fallout from a U.S. presidential election, with the entire season set between election day and inauguration. According to Showtime's release, "It's a strange, transitional time in the halls of government filled with anxiety and different competing interests, where a very fragile and complex transfer of power takes place between the outgoing president and the incoming president-elect."
"We are proud that Homeland has been so consistently recognized for its excellence with awards and critical acclaim, but we are in awe of how the series fearlessly mines the geopolitics of our complicated world and translates that into compelling human drama," Showtime Networks Inc. President and CEO David Nevins said. "Under [showrunner] Alex Gansa's brilliant leadership, Homeland has shown an uncanny ability to reinvent itself which makes us supremely confident that this show will remain as distinctive, relevant and cutting edge as anything on television for as long as these producers want to continue."
During a promotional event for "Homeland" last week, Gansa explained his reasoning for the show's season six setting after a presidential election.
"There is this strange period in America where there are 72 days when it's not exactly clear who's in charge, and there is a new president that needs to be educated on what it means to be president," Gansa said. "That is a very complex transfer of power filled with all kinds of anxiety and different competing interests - How do I get the ear of the new president? How does the new president elect deal with the president that's going out? - and it's a dangerous time in our democracy."
