Most American political thriller TV shows have fallen into the trap of stereotyping certain races as the bad guys, which was actually based on recent historical events.
However, in this day and age of mass multi-media, it is important that television shows and their showrunners must learn to be discerning in this regards since a number of races are often being attacked and persecuted baselessly because they are painted as the bad guys on the small screen.
One very familiar race is the Muslim. Since the 9/11 incident, a number of TV shows have painted the race as the often equivalent of bad.
While some new TV shows have learned to avoid typecasting Muslims and paint them in a bad light, “Quantico” showrunner Joshua Safran has adopted a personal policy that he would never feature Muslims as terrorists.
However, Howard Gordon, co-showrunner of the American political thriller “Homeland” cannot commit the same thing. Gordon was also the executive producer of “24,” details the International Business Times of Australia.
Gordon said that his TV shows can be prone to regressive thinking and might actually provoke xenophobia. He added for instance that “Homeland” could be fodder for increased attacks against Muslims, though he made it clear that it was not or the show’s intention to project the race as such.
He went on to elaborate that “Homeland” shall continue to test the edges of free speech, citing that the show could also be a way of expressing discontent with American policy without being a terrorist but is actually being set up to be one by the government itself.
Another casting addition
Jake Weber shall be the latest casting addition to the upcoming sixth season of “Homeland,” set to return to Showtime on January 15, 2017.
Weber, who is fresh from the TV series “Medium,” shall be taking on the recurring role of Brett O’Keefe, described as an aggressive yet charming all-right media personality, notes TV Line.
Prior to joining “Homeland” Season 6, Weber’s TV credits include stints on “Secrets and Lies,” “Hell on Wheels,” and “Tyrant.”
There are no other details about Weber’s character in “Homeland” Season 6 but it would surely be a good one notwithstanding his level of talent and the fact that the emphasis of the producers are now centered on excellent acting and a great storyline.
US election day on highlight
Apart from featuring the US presidential elections beginning with Election Day leading up to the inauguration, Season 6 of “Homeland” will also showcase the continued effects of the 9/11 attacks on the United States.
It was showrunner Alex Gansa who confirmed the main plotlines for the upcoming sixth season of “Homeland.”
Another interesting subplot for Season 6 is the return of Peter Quinn, played by Rupert Friend, even when he was seen to have almost died during the Season 5 finale after being exposed to sarin gas in Germany.
After falling into a coma, Quinn is awakened so that Carrie Mathison, played by Claire Danes, and Saul Berenson, played by Mandy Patinkin, can extract information from the fallen CIA operative. But the doctors diagnosed Quinn to have a minimal cognitive function.
After Quinn declared his love for Carrie through a letter, the latter considered suffocating Quinn with a pillow as a form of mercy killing during the Season 5 finale.
But since Rupert Friend is confirmed to return for Season 6 as Peter Quinn, Carrie apparently did not push through with euthanasia.
There are confirmed reports saying that Peter Quinn is still a series regular in “Homeland” Season 6 cast, but the character is going to be dramatized, indicating that he will be a changed man and unlike what he was when viewers first met him.
Accordingly, Quinn will represent a profound and familiar casualty of the war on terror. The things he will have to endure in the new season will be different from what he had to go through in the past. Moreover, his daily life is intertwined with his relationship with Carrie.
As to whether he and Carrie would get back together or not, Gansa said that because they’re both very damaged people, they have a similar attraction to high voltage, high adrenaline situations that tend to have an incredible benefit but more likely to have a very catastrophic end.
The latest trailer for “Homeland” Season 6 featured Carrie, Saul, and Dar Adal, played by F. Murray Abraham as they handle the challenges of a female president-elect after the US elections.
It would have been similar to the real-life situation had Hillary Clinton won during the real-life US presidential elections on November 8 but it seems that the showrunner made the wrong guess on the election as it was Donald Trump who won and is about to become the 45th President of the US.
Earlier this year, Showtime renewed the TV series for two more seasons which means that “Homeland” will be on-air until 2019 at the very least.
Incidentally, the return of Rupert Friend as Peter Quinn was also confirmed on the ground when he was spotted back in August filming in New York.
But things do not look well for the actor’s character as he looks pretty edgy while sporting some disheveled hair, dingy clothes, and velcro shoes, that he looked more like an American veteran who fought for his country once but did not get the support he deserved.