Homeland (TV series)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigationJump to search
Homeland

Serial drama
Genre
Espionage thriller

Psychological thriller

Political thriller

Based on Prisoners of War

by Gideon Raff

Developed by Howard Gordon

Alex Gansa

Starring Claire Danes

Damian Lewis

Morena Baccarin

David Harewood
Diego Klattenhoff

Jackson Pace

Morgan Saylor

Mandy Patinkin

Jamey Sheridan

David Marciano

Navid Negahban

Rupert Friend

Sarita Choudhury

Tracy Letts

F. Murray Abraham
 Nazanin Boniadi

Laila Robins

Sebastian Koch

Miranda Otto

Alexander Fehling

Sarah Sokolovic

Elizabeth Marvel

Maury Sterling

Linus Roache

Jake Weber

Morgan Spector

Costa Ronin

Nimrat Kaur

Numan Acar

Composer(s) Sean Callery

Country of origin United States

Original language(s) English

No. of seasons 8

No. of episodes 96 (list of episodes)

Production

Executive producer(s) Alex Gansa

Howard Gordon

Gideon Raff

Michael Cuesta

Avi Nir

Ran Telem

Henry Bromell

Alexander Cary

Chip Johannessen

Meredith Stiehm

Lesli Linka Glatter

Patrick Harbinson

Michael Klick
 Claire Danes

Ron Nyswaner

Debora Cahn

Producer(s) Lauren White

Katie O'Hara

Charlotte Stoudt

Mandy Patinkin

Sunday Stevens

Production location(s) Charlotte, North

Carolina (seasons 1–3)
Tel Aviv, Israel (seasons 1–2)

Old San Juan, Puerto

Rico (season 3)
Morocco, North Africa (seasons 3,

6, 8)

Cape Town, South Africa (season

4)

Berlin, Germany (season 5)

New York City, New

York (season 6)
Richmond, Virginia (season 7)

Cinematography Nelson Cragg

Chris Manley
David Klein

Giorgio Scali

Peter Levy

Editor(s) Joe Hobeck

Terry Kelley

Jordan Goldman

David Latham

Garret Donnelly

Michael Ruscio

Harvey Rosenstock

Philip Carr Neel

 Sarah Zeitlin

Victoria Grimsley

Camera setup Single-camera

Running time 46–84 minutes

Production company(s) Teakwood Lane Productions

Cherry Pie Productions

Keshet Broadcasting

Fox 21 (2011–14)

Fox 21 Television

Studios (2015–2020)
Showtime Networks

Studio Babelsberg

Distributor 20th Television

Release

Original network Showtime

Picture format HDTV 1080i

Original release October 2, 2011 –

April 26, 2020

External links

Website

Homeland is an American spy thriller television series developed by Howard

Gordon and Alex Gansa based on the Israeli series Prisoners of War (Original
title Hebrew: ‫חטופים‬, romanized: Hatufim, literally "Abductees"), which was created
by Gideon Raff.[1][2]
The series stars Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison, a Central Intelligence Agency officer
with bipolar disorder, and Damian Lewis as Nicholas Brody, a U.S. Marine Corps Scout
Sniper. Mathison had come to believe that Brody, who was held captive by al-Qaeda as
a prisoner of war, was "turned" by the enemy and poses a threat to the United States.
The series focuses on a storyline that evolves from this premise, together with
Mathison's ongoing covert work.
The series was broadcast in the U.S. on the cable channel Showtime, and is produced
by Fox 21 Television Studios (formerly Fox 21). It premiered on October 2, 2011. [3] The
first episode was made available online more than two weeks before the television
broadcast, with viewers having to complete game tasks to gain access. [4][5] The series'
 eighth and final season[6][7] premiered on February 9, 2020.[8] The series finale aired on
April 26, 2020.
The series has received generally positive reviews, with its first two seasons gaining
near universal praise. It has won several awards, including the 2011 and 2012 Golden
Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama for its first two seasons, and the
2012 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series for its first season. Danes
has won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama
Series twice (from five nominations) and Lewis has won the Primetime Emmy Award for
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series once (from two nominations). Supporting
cast members Mandy Patinkin, Morena Baccarin, Rupert Friend and F. Murray
Abraham have also received Emmy acting nominations.

Contents

 1Overview
o 1.1Season 1 (2011)
o 1.2Season 2 (2012)
o 1.3Season 3 (2013)
o 1.4Season 4 (2014)
o 1.5Season 5 (2015)
o 1.6Season 6 (2017)
o 1.7Season 7 (2018)
o 1.8Season 8 (2020)
 2Cast and characters
 3Production
o 3.1Development history
o 3.2Casting
o 3.3Writing
o 3.4Filming
o 3.5Other media
 4Reception
o 4.1Critical response
o 4.2Ratings
o 4.3Awards and nominations
o 4.4Controversies
 5Home video releases
 6Broadcast
 7References
 8External links

Overview[edit]
Main article: List of Homeland episodes

Seaso Episodes Originally aired

 n

First aired Last aired

1 12 October 2, 2011 December 18, 2011

September 30, 201
2 12 December 16, 2012
2

September 29, 201
3 12 December 15, 2013
3

4 12 October 5, 2014 December 21, 2014

5 12 October 4, 2015 December 20, 2015

6 12 January 15, 2017 April 9, 2017

7 12 February 11, 2018 April 29, 2018

8 12 February 9, 2020 April 26, 2020

Season 1 (2011)[edit]
Main article: Homeland (season 1)
Carrie Mathison, a Central Intelligence Agency operations officer, conducts an
unauthorized operation in Iraq and is reassigned to the CIA's Counterterrorism
Center in Langley, Virginia. Nicholas Brody, a U.S. Marine Sergeant who had been
reported as missing in action since 2003, is rescued from a compound belonging to
terrorist Abu Nazir. Brody is heralded as a war hero, but Carrie comes to suspect that
he is planning a terrorist attack against the United States.
Season 2 (2012)[edit]
Main article: Homeland (season 2)
While on leave from the CIA, Carrie is recruited for an intelligence gathering mission in
Beirut. Brody strengthens his position as a potential running mate for Vice President
Walden, while still under the command of Abu Nazir.
Season 3 (2013)[edit]
Main article: Homeland (season 3)
In the aftermath of the terrorist attack on Langley, Brody has fled the country while
Carrie strives to clear his name. An initiative by CIA director Saul Berenson targets
Iranian intelligence officer Majid Javadi (who financed the Langley bombing).
Season 4 (2014)[edit]
Main article: Homeland (season 4)
Carrie is working as a CIA station chief in Kabul, Afghanistan and later in Islamabad,
Pakistan. She oversees a botched drone strike on the suspected location of terrorist
mastermind Haissan Haqqani, which causes strife within the CIA and provokes the
extremely dangerous terrorist. Carrie recruits a young asset in an attempt to track down
Haqqani. Information provided to the Pakistanis by a disgruntled embassy American
leads to disastrous results.
Season 5 (2015)[edit]
Main article: Homeland (season 5)
Two years after the events of season 4, Carrie is no longer an intelligence officer and is
now working as head of security for a private charitable foundation and its billionaire
owner in Berlin, Germany.[9][10]
Season 6 (2017)[edit]
Main article: Homeland (season 6)
Several months after the previous season, Carrie is back in the United States, living
in Brooklyn, New York. She now works at a foundation that provides aid to Muslims
living in the United States. The season features the election of the first female president
and occurs between election day and inauguration day.[11]
Season 7 (2018)[edit]
Main article: Homeland (season 7)
Carrie has left her job in the White House and moved back to D.C. to live with her sister
Maggie. She takes on the Keane administration to secure the release of the 200
members of the intelligence community who were arrested under President Keane's
orders the previous season.[12]
Season 8 (2020)[edit]
Main article: Homeland (season 8)
Saul, now National Security Advisor to President Warner, is sent to Afghanistan to
engage the Taliban in peace negotiations. He needs help from Carrie, who is recovering
from her confinement in a Russian prison.[8]

Cast and characters[edit]

Main article: List of Homeland characters

Claire Danes portrays series lead character Carrie Mathison

 Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison, a CIA case officer assigned to

the Counterterrorism Center. She has bipolar disorder and believes Brody to be a
terrorist when he returns to the United States. After leaving the CIA, Carrie becomes
a private citizen, living in Berlin and later, New York.
 Damian Lewis as Nicholas Brody, a Congressman and retired U.S.
Marine Gunnery Sergeant (formerly Sergeant) who is rescued by Delta Force after
being held by al-Qaeda as a prisoner of war for eight years (starring seasons 1–3,
guest season 4).
 Mandy Patinkin as Saul Berenson, Carrie's mentor and the CIA's Middle East
Division Chief and Acting Director of the CIA during season 3.
 Morena Baccarin as Jessica Brody, Brody's wife. Assuming her husband is dead,
she has a relationship with Mike. She struggles to adjust when Brody returns after
such a long absence (seasons 1–3).
 David Harewood as David Estes, the director of the CIA's Counter-terrorism
Center and Carrie's boss. The two have a tumultuous relationship due to her
aggressive way of working and the suggestion of a past sexual relationship between
them (seasons 1–2).
 Diego Klattenhoff as Mike Faber, a U.S. Marine Major (formerly Captain in
season 1). Brody's best friend who, assuming Brody is dead, begins a relationship
with Jessica (starring seasons 1–2, guest season 3).
 Jackson Pace as Chris Brody, Brody's son (seasons 1–3).
 Morgan Saylor as Dana Brody, Brody's daughter (seasons 1–3).
 Jamey Sheridan as William Walden, Vice President of the United States and a
former director of the CIA (recurring season 1, starring season 2).
 David Marciano as Virgil Piotrowski, a freelance surveillance expert and former
CIA employee whom Carrie enlists for the surveillance of Brody (recurring seasons
1 and 3, starring season 2).
 Navid Negahban as Abu Nazir, a high-ranking member of al-Qaeda (recurring
season 1, starring season 2, guest season 3).
 Rupert Friend as Peter Quinn, a CIA operative and assassin (recurring season 2,
starring seasons 3–6).
 Sarita Choudhury as Mira Berenson, Saul's wife (recurring seasons 1 and 4,
guest seasons 2 and 6, starring season 3).
 Tracy Letts as Senator Andrew Lockhart, who later assumes the role of Director
of the CIA (seasons 3–4).
 F. Murray Abraham as Dar Adal, a black ops specialist (recurring seasons 2 and
4, starring seasons 3 and 5–6, guest season 7).
 Nazanin Boniadi as Fara Sherazi, a Muslim CIA analyst (recurring season 3,
starring season 4).
 Laila Robins as Martha Boyd, the United States ambassador to Pakistan (season
4).
 Sebastian Koch as Otto Düring, a German philanthropist and Carrie's boss
(starring season 5, guest season 6).
 Miranda Otto as Alison Carr, the current Berlin Chief of Station, working directly
for Saul Berenson (season 5).
 Alexander Fehling as Jonas Hollander, legal counsel for the Düring Foundation
and Carrie's boyfriend (season 5).
 Sarah Sokolovic as Laura Sutton, an American journalist in Berlin, who works for
the Düring Foundation (season 5).
 Elizabeth Marvel as Elizabeth Keane, a junior senator from New York,
elected President of United States (seasons 6–7).
 Maury Sterling as Max Piotrowski, Virgil's brother and a freelance surveillance
expert who often works with Carrie (recurring seasons 1–4 and 6, starring seasons
7–8).
 Linus Roache as David Wellington, White House Chief of Staff to President
Keane (guest season 6, starring seasons 7–8).
 Jake Weber as Brett O'Keefe, a right-wing media personality (recurring season 6,
starring season 7).
 Morgan Spector as Dante Allen, an old friend of Carrie's who is looking into the
hundreds of people President Keane has detained (season 7).
 Costa Ronin as Lieutenant Colonel Yevgeny Gromov, a Russian GRU Senior
Operations Officer (recurring season 7, starring season 8).
 Nimrat Kaur as Tasneem Qureishi, a member of Pakistan's Inter-Services
Intelligence (recurring season 4, starring season 8).
 Numan Acar as Haissam Haqqani, a high-priority target and Taliban leader
(recurring season 4, starring season 8).

Production[edit]
Development history[edit]
The series was developed for American television by Alex Gansa (left) and Howard Gordon (right). The two
had previously worked together on 24 and The X-Files.

Based on Gideon Raff's Israeli series Prisoners of War, Homeland was developed

by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa in early 2010. The two had previously worked
together on the similarly themed series 24.[1] On September 19, 2010, Showtime placed
a pilot order for Homeland as the first project David Nevins had undertaken since
leaving Imagine Entertainment to become president of Showtime.[1] Gordon, Gansa and
Raff wrote the pilot, Michael Cuesta directed the pilot, with Gordon, Gansa, Raff, Avi
Nir, and Ran Telem serving as executive producers.[1][13][14]
The series was passed on by FX[15] before landing at Showtime who green-lit a 12
episode order on April 7, 2011.[16][17][18] It was announced that Chip Johannessen would
join the series as a co-executive producer, while Michael Cuesta, who had served as
the director on the pilot, would join the series as an executive producer. [19][20] Ben
Affleck was originally slated to direct the pilot. [15]
On July 21, 2011, at the San Diego Comic-Con, Showtime announced that the series
would premiere on October 2, 2011.[3] Along with the announcement of the premiere
date for the series,[3] the network also announced that the names of the characters
portrayed by Claire Danes and Damian Lewis had been renamed Carrie Mathison and
Nicholas Brody, from Carrie Anderson and Scott Brody, respectively. [21][22] The series is
produced by Fox 21.[17]
In September 2016, Gansa announced that he would be crafting the eighth season as
the series' last. He pointed out that the decision would ultimately fall on Showtime, but
that he would be moving toward an eight-season close. He also stated that it would be
his desire to film the final season in Israel, where Homeland's source series, Prisoners
of War, originated.[23]
Casting[edit]
Casting announcements began in November 2010, with Claire Danes first to be cast.
Danes portrays Carrie Mathison, "a driven CIA officer battling her own psychological
demons."[21][24] Other actresses considered for the Mathison role included Robin
Wright, Maria Bello and Halle Berry.[15] Next to join the series was Mandy Patinkin as
Saul Berenson, "the smart and politically savvy CIA Division Chief ... who is Carrie's
main champion in the intelligence upper echelon and her sounding board." [25][26] Laura
Fraser was initially cast as Jessica Brody, "Nick Brody's smart, strong wife.", [27] but after
the pilot Fraser was replaced by Morena Baccarin.[28] Next to join the series
were Damian Lewis and David Harewood, with Lewis playing Brody, "who returns home
after spending eight years as a prisoner of war in Baghdad", while Harewood was cast
as David Estes, "a rising star in the CIA, Carrie's boss ... is the youngest director of the
Counterterrorism Center in the Agency's history." [22] Gansa pushed for Lewis in the
Brody role despite hesitations from series producers in favor of Ryan Phillippe, Kyle
Chandler and Alessandro Nivola.[15] Diego Klattenhoff, Morgan Saylor, and Jackson
Pace were the last actors to join the main cast, with Klattenhoff playing Mike Faber,
"Brody's close friend and fellow Marine, Mike Faber was convinced that Brody was
dead, which is how he justified falling in love with Brody's wife Jessica", Saylor playing
Dana Brody, "The Brodys' oldest child", and Pace playing Chris Brody, "Nick and
Jessica's eager-to-please, self-conscious thirteen year-old son." [29][30]
It was later announced that Jamey Sheridan, Navid Negahban, Amir Arison,
and Brianna Brown had joined the series as recurring guest stars. Sheridan was cast as
the Vice President of the United States, Negahban was cast as Abu Nazir, with Arison
playing Prince Farid Bin Abbud and Brown playing Lynne Reed. [31][32]
Writing[edit]
Beginning in season four, the showrunners began taking over the top floor of City
Tavern Club in Washington D.C. for "Spy Camp". According to Gansa, the day would
start at 8 a.m. and end after 10 p.m. where the writers, producers and some actors
would meet with former CIA, ambassadors, ex-military, journalists and intelligence
officers to discuss national security issues to inform the storylines. "Spy Camp" experts
included A. Elizabeth Jones, Stanley A. McChrystal, Dana Priest and Michael Hayden.[15]
Washington Post writer Barton Gellman connected the Homeland team on an hours-
long video call with Edward Snowden before he appeared in documentaries or did
interviews. According to Patinkin, they could not "budge him from his soapbox" to
discuss personal information while Snowden was in Moscow. [15]
Filming[edit]
The series is filmed in and around Charlotte, North Carolina. The location was chosen
because of film tax credits, and the atmosphere matches
nearby Virginia and Washington, D.C., where the series is set.[33] Production claims it is
easier to get around the area's smaller city atmosphere rather than in large cities where
filming typically occurs.[34] Another frequent setting is nearby Mooresville. Executive
producer Michael Cuesta said Mooresville is "played for quite a few rural-type one-
stoplight main-street type of towns."[34]
The Brody family house is in Mountainbrook, a Charlotte neighborhood near SouthPark
Mall. Queens University of Charlotte is the Brody daughter's college. CIA headquarters
is Cambridge Corporate Center in University Research Park. Charlotte/Douglas
International Airport, the Ritz-Carlton, the old courthouse, Ed's Tavern,[35] and Zack's
Hamburgers in Charlotte, as well as Rural Hill in Huntersville and Lake Norman, have
also served as filming locations.[34]
Production for season two began in May 2012 with the series filming in Israel for two
weeks, with Israeli cities standing in for Beirut.[36][37] The rest of the season was filmed in
Charlotte and Concord, North Carolina.[38]
Production for the third season began in late May 2013, [39] continuing production
in Raleigh, North Carolina.[40] The series also filmed in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, which
stood in for Caracas, Venezuela.[41] The series was also planning on returning to Israel
for additional filming, but filming moved to Morocco, due to ongoing conflicts in Syria.[42]
Production for the fourth season took place from June through November 2014 in Cape
Town, South Africa,[43] while the fifth season moved production to Berlin, Germany.[10]
The sixth season began production in August 2016 and filmed in New York City and
Morocco.[11][44] The seventh season began production on September 11, 2017, and
primarily filmed in Richmond, Virginia.[45][46] Additional filming for season seven occurred
in Budapest, Hungary, for episodes 11 and 12.[47] The eighth season began filming in
February 2019 in Morocco.[48]
Other media[edit]
Since the conclusion of season 2, several pieces of in-universe material have been
published.[49]

 HomelandAftermath.com provides a deeper look into the aftermath of season 2,

with news reports and survivors' accounts. [50]
 Twentieth Century Fox partnered with Audible.com to offer Phantom Pain – A
Homeland Story (2014), a 30-minute audio piece narrated by Damian Lewis, which
details Brody's movements between seasons 2 and 3 of the show. [51]
 Homeland: Carrie's Run (2013) is a novel that tells the story of Carrie Mathison in
a series of events that take place before season 1. [52]
 Another prequel novel set in 2009, Homeland: Saul's Game (2014), was released
on October 7, 2014.[53]

Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
Critical response
Seaso
n
Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic

1 100[54] 92[55]

2 93[56] 96[57]

3 80[58] 77[59]

4 81[60] 74[61]

5 88[62] 76[63]

6 78[64] 68[65]

7 80[66] 65[67]

8 85[68] 71[69]

The first season received near universal acclaim. Metacritic gave it a rating of 92 out of

100 based on 29 critics.[55] TV Guide named it the best TV show of 2011[70] and highly
applauded the performances given by Damian Lewis and Claire Danes. [71] Metacritic
named Homeland the second-best TV show of 2011, based on aggregating the year-
end top-ten lists of a number of major TV critics.[72] The second season also received
near universal acclaim, achieving a Metacritic rating of 96 out of 100 from 21 critics.
[57]
 The third season initially received generally favorable reviews, with a rating of 77 out
of 100 based on 23 critics,[59] but reviews became more negative as the season
progressed.[73][74]
Hank Stuever of The Washington Post gave the pilot episode an A−, saying "What
makes Homeland rise above other post-9/11 dramas is Danes's stellar performance as
Carrie—easily this season's strongest female character," and that "The latter half of the
first episode is exhilarating. I'm hooked." [75] Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe gave it
a solid A grade, and said it was his favorite drama pilot of the season. [76] Entertainment
Weekly's Ken Tucker gave it an A−, stating "It's the fall season's most intriguing, tense
puzzler."[77] IGN TV gave it a positive review, saying that it was an "ace thriller" that also
managed to have something to say about the "War on Terror".[78] The seventh episode,
"The Weekend", received overwhelming critical acclaim and was described by both the
creators of the show and Lewis as a "watershed" episode. [79][80]
However, Greg Dixon of The New Zealand Herald criticized Homeland's thin plotting,
Danes's "insane levels of overacting", and Lewis's "passivity". [81] Robert Rorke of New
York Post wrote about the third season "Seldom in the history of cable TV has a series
imploded as quickly as Showtime's Homeland." and "The show, in the middle of its third
season, is now impossible to take seriously." [82] In 2014, Laura Durkay of The
Washington Post criticized Homeland for its portrayal of Islamophobic stereotypes and
called it "the most bigoted show on television. [83]
Former U.S. President Barack Obama has praised Homeland and is known to be a fan
of the show.[84][85][86] Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's office asked for early
screeners of episodes from the first season.[15]
Ratings[edit]
The original broadcast of the pilot episode on October 2, 2011, received 1.08 million
viewers, becoming Showtime's highest-rated drama premiere in eight years. The
episode received a total of 2.78 million viewers with additional broadcasts and on
demand views.[87] The final episode of season one received 1.7 million viewers, making it
the most-watched season finale of any first-year Showtime series. [88] Ratings increased
in Season 2, peaking with 2.36 million viewers for the December 9, 2012 first-run
broadcast.[89]
The series has also performed well in the UK, where it airs on Channel 4. The pilot
episode drew 2.2 million viewers and the season one finale drew 2.8 million viewers.
[90]
 Season 2 saw a drop in viewership, with the season two premiere drawing in 2.3
million viewers,[90] but the finale only 2.1 million.[91]

First aired Last aired

Avg. viewer
Seaso Timeslo Episode
s
n t (ET) s Viewers Viewers (millions)
Date (millions Date (millions
) )

December 18, 20
1 12 October 2, 2011 1.08[87] 1.71[88] 1.25[92]
11
Sunday
10:00 p
m
September 30, 20 December 16, 20
2 12 1.73[93] 2.29[94] 1.92[95]
12 12

Sunday September 29, 20 December 15, 20

3 12 1.88[96] 2.38[97] 1.95[98]
9:00 pm 13 13

4 12 October 5, 2014 1.61[99] December 21, 20 1.92[100] 1.65[101]

14
 December 20, 20
5 12 October 4, 2015 1.66[102] 2.07[103] 1.53[104]
15

6 12 January 15, 2017 1.08[105] April 9, 2017 1.90[106] 1.28[107]

7 12 February 11, 2018 1.22[108] April 29, 2018 1.30[109] 1.23[110]

8 12 February 9, 2020 0.60[111] April 26, 2020 1.26[112] 0.83[113]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Homeland
In its debut season, the series received several industry awards and nominations. The
series was recognized with a Peabody Award in April 2012 describing the series as "a
game of cat and mouse, a psychological thriller and a Rorschach test of post-9/11
doubts, fears and suspicions rolled into one." [114] At the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards,
the series received nine nominations winning six awards, including Outstanding Drama
Series, Claire Danes for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Damian
Lewis for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, and Alex Gansa, Howard
Gordon and Gideon Raff for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for the pilot
episode. The series also won awards for Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series and
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series. [115]
At the 69th Golden Globe Awards, the series won the award for Best Television Series
– Drama, and Claire Danes won for Best Actress – Television Series Drama, with
Damian Lewis receiving a nomination for Best Actor – Television Series Drama. At
the 70th Golden Globe Awards, the series won its second consecutive award for Best
Television Series – Drama, Danes won again for Best Actress – Television Series
Drama, and Lewis won for Best Actor – Television Series Drama, after being nominated
the previous year.[116]
Controversies[edit]
In October 2012 the Lebanese government was reportedly planning to sue the show's
producers, asserting misrepresentation of Hamra Street in Beirut, Lebanon. Specifically,
in the second episode of the second season "Beirut Is Back", the street was shown as a
narrow alleyway with militia roaming and associated with terrorist activity. In reality, the
Lebanese government says, it is a bustling modern hub of cafes and bars. The Minister
of Tourism Fadi Abboud said he would take legal action over the lies, saying "Beirut is
one of the most secure capitals in the world, more secure than London or New
York."[117] Although Homeland's co-creator, Gideon Raff, is Israeli and thus forbidden
from entering Lebanon, Abboud also protested the filming of episodes in Israel rather
than Lebanon.[118][119][120]
Peter Beaumont of The Guardian wrote about the portrayal of Muslims in the series:
"High-profile Muslims living in the US share a secret: both willingly or otherwise they are
covert helpers of Abu Nazir, the al-Qaida terrorist leader. In other words, it does not
matter whether they are rich, smart, discreetly enjoying a western lifestyle or attractive:
all are to be suspected."[121]
Raff's works, Homeland included, have been criticized for their portrayal of Muslims.
[122]
 In an article for Salon, Laila Al-Arian called the show the most Islamophobic show on
television, accused it of portraying Muslims under the light of simplistic concepts and as
a monolithic, single-minded group whose only purpose is to hurt Americans, and basing
the Brody character to such an extent on "pseudo-psychology that only an audience
conditioned by the Islamophobic, anti-Arab tropes in our media could find him
consistent." She further criticizes the show for fanning hysteria of Muslim "infiltration" of
the United States; poor mastery of even basic Arabic; misrepresentation of Islamic and
Arab culture; and simplifying the politics of militant Islamic organizations, for instance by
conflating groups that in real life are rivals.[123]
An article in The Atlantic by Yair Rosenberg challenged al-Arian's criticisms, arguing
that they missed what made the show valuable, which was that it was no gung-ho salute
to U.S. militarism and tactics on the war on terror nor a black-and-white portrayal of
good Americans versus evil Muslims, but rather a show that challenges the prejudices
of its viewers rather than affirming them. [124] Similarly, Zach Novetsky asserted that al-
Arian's criticisms was a function of the show's having enough "depth and layers for
someone to concoct a totally inaccurate interpretation of what the show really is
about."[125]
Middle East commentator Rachel Shabi wrote that Homeland's take on U.S. foreign
policy in the Middle East does little more than defend the talking points of its advocates,
presenting even U.S. violence against civilians as "necessary acts in pursuit of far
worse crimes".[126]
Middle East policy expert Fawaz Gerges told TheWrap, "Homeland is poisonous to any
attempt to bridge the divide between the two nations [United States and Iran]". [127]
The German news magazine Der Spiegel said that the show depicts "hysterical CIA
agents in a hysterical country," and demonstrates the "paranoid tactics that delegitimize
its democracy" that the United States has applied and exceeded in real life, such as the
tapping of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone.[128]
In a 2014 report, the human rights group Amnesty International found relatively high
levels of popular support for torture in the U.S. and Britain, in part due to the glorification
of torture allegedly found in popular English language TV shows such
as 24 and Homeland.[129]
In October 2015, three graffiti artists hired to add graffiti writings on the set of a season
5 episode (intended to portray a refugee camp on the Lebanon–Syria border) to add
"authenticity" to the scenes, wrote instead slogans accusing the show of racism. [130]