Homeland: Season 1
  • Network: Showtime
  • Series Premiere Date: Oct 2, 2011
  • Season #: 1 , 2 , 3
Metascore
91 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 28 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 28
  3. Negative: 0 out of 28
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  1. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Reviewed by: Rob Owen
    Sep 29, 2011
    90
    Viewers hungering for a twisty-turny, who's-right-who's-wrong thriller will find it in Showtime's domestic terrorism drama Homeland.
  2. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Matthew Gilbert
    Sep 21, 2011
    100
    Of all the drama pilots I watched, this was my favorite.
  3. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Sep 29, 2011
    100
    Shows like Homeland have a way of keeping us deliciously off balance. Can't think of a place I'd rather be or a show I'd more highly recommend.
  4. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Robert Bianco
    Sep 30, 2011
    100
    Danes and Lewis are near-flawless, keeping you off-balance and absorbed.
  5. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Linda Stasi
    Sep 30, 2011
    100
    Showtime's edgy, edge-of-your-seat series, is, bar none, the best thriller on American TV.
  6. The Huffington Post (formerly AOL TV)
    Reviewed by: Maureen Ryan
    Sep 29, 2011
    100
    Homeland also manages to be both an addictive espionage thriller and a compelling character study, as well as a well-constructed exploration of the difficulties and ambiguities of fighting terrorism a decade after Sept. 11. Without a doubt, it is one of the finest new shows of the year.
  7. People Weekly
    Reviewed by: Tom Gliatto
    Sep 30, 2011
    100
    [A] taut, ingenious spy series. [10 Oct 2011, p.44]
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  8. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    Sep 26, 2011
    91
    It's the fall season's most intriguing, tense puzzler.
  9. Hitfix
    Reviewed by: Alan Sepinwall
    Sep 30, 2011
    91
    Homeland functions terrifically as both a thriller and a commentary on our post-post-9/11 world, where the War on Terror and the concept of being constantly under surveillance are both facts of life.
  10. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Glenn Garvin
    Oct 3, 2011
    90
    Homeland is an absolutely riveting immersion in the paranoia and burnout of America after a decade of the war on terrorism.
  11. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Alessandra Stanley
    Sep 29, 2011
    90
    Carrie is hard to like, but Homeland is almost impossible to resist.
  12. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Mary McNamara
    Sep 29, 2011
    100
    It's the first telling of a post-9/11 story that is all the things it should be: politically resonant, emotionally wrenching and plain old thrilling to watch.
  13. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: David Wiegand
    Sep 30, 2011
    100
    There are a couple of bush-league moments in the show....[But]those are minor quibbles, made even more insignificant by the extraordinary performances of Danes, Lewis, Patinkin and Baccarin.
  14. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Storm
    Oct 3, 2011
    100
    It's no lie to say you don't get this sort of stylish and challenging stuff very frequently on TV, adult subject matter treated maturely in a series that makes you squirm and think.
  15. Time
    Reviewed by: James Poniewozik
    Sep 30, 2011
    100
    I can't recommend the series highly enough, particularly for the phenomenal performances by Lewis and Danes.
  16. Uncle Barky
    Reviewed by: Ed Bark
    Sep 29, 2011
    100
    It's compelling, enthralling and steeped in current realities.
  17. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Hank Stuever
    Sep 21, 2011
    91
    What makes Homeland rise above other post-9/11 dramas is Danes's stellar performance as Carrie--easily this season's strongest female character, who is also hiding some personal secrets of her own. The latter half of the first episode is exhilarating. I'm hooked.
  18. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Diane Werts
    Sep 29, 2011
    100
    Showtime lets them take their time to spin serpentine story lines, gradually pulling us deep into one very sticky, scary web of intrigue.
  19. Salon
    Reviewed by: Matt Zoller Seitz
    Oct 3, 2011
    100
    [Homeland] sounds as though it could have been pitched as "The Manchurian Candidate: The Series." But set that aside, if you can, and look at what's on-screen, because it'll reward your attention.
  20. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Dorothy Rabinowitz
    Sep 30, 2011
    100
    Once you watch the first episode, it's going to be hard standing the wait for the next.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.1 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 617 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 112 out of 140
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 140
  3. Negative: 20 out of 140
  1. JennetP
    9
    I'll admit, I wasn't planning to watch "Homeland" at all. Since 9/11, few television shows have treated the subject of national security with subtlety, insight, or the slightest hint of moral complexity, preferring a lobotomized patriotism that flattens characters into stick figures, stories into lessons, and ideas into platitudes. Given that Showtime's new offering didn't strain very hard to distinguish its title from ABC's egregious "Homeland Security," I assumed it would offer more of the same, though with better production values. I ended up watching the pilot because of Damian Lewis, not just because he's talented but because he tends to choose challenging, interesting projects. And "Homeland" does indeed look as though it may stand comparison with "Life" and "Band of Brothers." At the center of the series is a profound and pressing question: is a rescued American POW the same man he was before? Or has he become a traitor of the deadliest sort, repudiating American values just as he becomes a national symbol of them? It's a question that is both ingenious as a plot device and profoundly important, affecting countries and communities such as the armed forces, as well as the soldier's friends, family, and the man himself. And, so far, it remains a real question, because, on "Homeland," no character's judgment is without problems that make it at least slightly untrustworthy, so no one who claims to know the truth actually does. Thrilling stuff! And the series does indeed have Showtime's customary polish, starting with excellent acting by principals and walk-ons alike. Lewis's depiction of surface calm and subterranean chaos is, as expected, mesmerizing; he can do more with a single cheek muscle than most actors can with an extended soliloquy. I was almost as pleased not to recognize Claire Danes as an unstable CIA expert, a smart, edgy performance that perfectly balances strength and weakness. My only quibble, so far, is with a few minor plot details that seem improbable--and, for all I know, these will turn out to be clever bits of misdirection intended to fool the likes of me. Otherwise, if the series maintains the energy and intelligence of the pilot, it should appeal to a large, enthusiastic audience.… Full Review »
  2. spacemonkey83
    1
    I don't want to write a review, but this show is so bad it should be on CBS. One only has to watch for fifteen minutes before complete frustration sets in. A viewer who has (a) served in the military or CIA (b) knows someone who has (c) has read at least a single book on the subject, or (d) is not a **** moron in general, will realize how idiotic this show treats such sensitive but extremely serious and formal subject matter. I'd love to say more, but I don't feel like devoting my time to nonsense. I'm sorry that critics like this. Very disappointing. It just goes to show that even the experts can be wrong now and again.… Full Review »
  3. ReviewCritic
    9
    Great, suspenseful, and realistic show.
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