The Top 25 Shows of 2015, No. 8: Showtime’s “Homeland”

Itamp8217s not unusual for a freshman drama series that thrills critics and audiences alike to suffer an egregious sophomore slump Itamp8217s a rich tradition that began with amp8220Lostamp8221 and amp8220Desperate Housewivesamp8221 ten years ago and continues to this day with Foxamp8217s amp8220Empireamp8221 and ABCamp8217s aforementioned amp8220Murderamp8221 each currently failing in its second season to match the magic of its firstShowtimeamp8217s amp8220Homelandamp8221 is another memorable example of a drama that in its first season was just about everything a bluechip television drama should be earning its place right up there with amp8220The Sopranosamp8221 amp8220The West Wingamp8221 amp8220Mad Menamp8221 and amp8220Breaking Badamp8221 amp8211 but in its second year began to fall apart almost immediately barely holding it together by seasonamp8217s end And it became clear only a few episodes in that its third season would best be forgotten altogetherBut then something wonderful happened amp8220Homelandamp8221 was largely transformed into an entirely new show in its fourth year with poor beleaguered Nicholas Brody dead and wired Carrie Mathison became the total focus of the show Rather than seem half empty as might be expected amp8220Homelandamp8221 was so full again it was literally overflowing with powerful dramaIt remained a firstrate political and psychological thriller in season five having reinvented itself yet again with Carrie having extracted herself from the CIA in favor of a new life in the private sector in Berlin only to be pulled back into the madness of her past this time for at least part of the season as the target of her former colleaguesDanes excelled as always as Carrie conveying the frustration and fear she felt when her world began to break apart in ways she never imagined Mandy Patinkin as the combustible Saul Berenson and the underrated Rupert Friend pictured above right with Danesamp160as terminator Peter Quinn were similarly outstanding as their characters faced one unexpected challenge after another all the while leaving viewers to wonder if they were still the good guys we had come to know in previous seasons The cliffhangers cameamp160fast and furious and the final episode packed a gut punch that wonamp8217t be revealed hereThereamp8217s no telling how long amp8220Homelandamp8221 can last or how much more trauma Carrie can take before suffering complete mental failure But given the state of the world and the timely urgency of stories about terrorism and international relations I canamp160definitely imagine this franchise continuing with new characters in the spotlight each of them realizing that they had better call Saul when fresh crises eruptThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageMyersBizNet management or associated bloggers amp160

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The Top 25 Shows of 2015, No. 8: Showtime’s “Homeland”

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Ed Martin

Empowering Women in Media: Insights from Industry Leaders (Video) - By E.B. Moss

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The Top 25 Shows of 2015, No. 8: Showtime’s “Homeland”

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