[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.
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.
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.
[There's] a level of ambiguity executive producers Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa might not have gotten away with when they were writing for Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer on "24," but it's part of what makes Homeland, adapted from an Israeli series created by Gideon Raff, one of the season's most intriguing dramas.
Homeland has a chance to be a much tighter--and smarter--endeavor with more nuance than "24" ever had. But if a cougar suddenly appears, and/or if someone comes back from the dead, all bets are off.
Definitely, one of the best shows on TV. Only complaint is I'm tired of her mental illness always springing up causing problems and being used against her. Take your med.s and let's move on past this as a plot line. She is tough and empowering. I just love her, she is strong, skilled, believable, and vulnerable. I love how astute she is. Can't wait for the new season.
I just finished watching Season 1. Not bad, not great. I'm not a big Damien Lewis fan, and he did nothing in this series to change my opinion. The CIA cast is great. The final episode was a real let down. Kind of epitomized the whole season. A lot of potential, just comes up short.
To put it simply, this show is American television for American viewers. It targets the market for post-9/11 paranoia and a revamped patriotism, but falls flat due to a tired storyline and acting that is not believable. Claire Danes winning the Golden Globe for best actress was an atrocity in my opinion. I find myself cringing (seriously) during some of her key performances in the show. The scene when she has been drinking with Brody, stumbling into the parking lot, made me almost change the channel. I continued to watch the entire season, and plan on giving next season a chance, but there is not much character substance nor is there much to the plot. You can continuously add twists and turns but if you don't invoke a person to think about human experience or trigger emotions other than "Wow, and explosion!" then there is no payout for the viewer.
Homeland morphed into an atrocious tv show where there's nothing at stake, when something interesting happens and it's immediately solved and now the show revolves in only drama and not into that frenetic pace of the start of the show were you had, drama, action and actually consequences.
The show lost it's way and you shouldn't watch it, I know the last episode made me quit.
Season 1 Fantastic
Season 2 Nice
Season 3 Bad
Season 4 Atrocius