From a September 2016 planned premiere date, Season 6 of the American political thriller drama TV series “Homeland” shall return to Showtime in January 2017.
While some fans were worried that the push back in the release date of the show may mean that Season 6 is going to be the last for the TV series, it seems unlikely so as there are even reports going around that the producers have been in serious discussions with Showtime officials to renew “Homeland” for Seasons 7 and 8 already.
Showrunner Alex Gansa took the deferment in the premiere date of “Homeland” on a positive note saying that it is good and quite necessary too as it gives the writers longer preparation time for breaking stories, notes the Metro of UK.
In addition, the show’s pen pushers can also feed on what is happening in the US politics in real-life into the scripts considering that Season 6 will finally have America as its location after shooting in South Africa and Berlin in Season 4 and Season 5, respectively.
There is also the US presidential elections in November to draw inspiration from, as far as the writers are concerned, because there will be a lot of issues that can be crafted as perfect storylines for the TV series.
As a matter of fact, there are even rumors saying that a Donald Trump-like character would be coming out in Season 6 of “Homeland.” But such are mere speculations at this time pending the confirmation from the showrunner, the producers, or the cast members.
Locking the series for 3 seasons
Last month, Showtime Network President and CEO David Nevins said that it was finalizing a deal with Fox 21 TV Studios, the producers of the TV series, to lock “Homeland” until Season 8 or a good full three seasons.
Filming for “Homeland” Season 6 shall begin next month and it shall be set in New York. The sixth season of the TV series shall pick up several months after Carrie Mathison, played by Claire Danes, thwarted a terrorist attack in Berlin, details Deadline.
As she acclimatizes herself back in Brooklyn, New York, working at a foundation seeking to provide aid to Muslims living in the US, Carrie will once again be involved in espionage work, not by her own liking but the circumstances around her.
In fact, Season 6 shall be taking place during the period from the election day to the inauguration of the next President of the United States that it would be a strange transitional time in the halls of government filled with anxiety and different competing interests.
There will definitely be a very fragile and complex transfer of power that shall be taking place between the outgoing president and the incoming president-elect.
Doing well in the ratings
Season 5 of “Homeland” on Showtime did well in the ratings department. It debuted on October 4 last year with 1.66 million viewers and its 12th and final episode that aired on December 20, 2015 netted 2.07 million viewers.
According to IMDB, the TV series has a score of 8.4 out of 10 based on over 224,600 user votes. Metacritic also rated “Homeland” 76 out of a possible high of 100 based on 17 reviews from critics.
In Rotten Tomatoes, the TV series has an average score of 8 out of 10 and 87% approval rating based on 33 reviews from critics.
In short, “Homeland” Season 5 has done well which is why critics were surprised when Showtime announced the push back on the release date of Season 6 of the TV series from the fall of this year to January 2017.
But it could be a strategic move on the part of the network. To allay fears and quash possible cancellation rumors, Showtime CEO David Nevins has recently revealed in an interview that they are now in talks with “Homeland” producer Fox 21 Television Studios to renew the series for Seasons 7 and 8.
Nevins was quoted as saying that just because he was not thinking that far ahead does not mean that showrunner Alex Gansa and his team are not.