Bryan McAllister’s personal reference notebook
July 30, 2026Short & citedBlog
Civic Viewpoint.
A quiet encyclopedia with a personal desk
Kept by Bryan McAllister — short guides, clear facts, and the Canadian angle when it matters.
Screen & Stage • Series

Homeland

Homeland is an American espionage thriller television series developed by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa.

Updated July 30, 20261 min readCited sources

Homeland is an American espionage thriller television series that aired on Showtime from 2011 to 2020. It stars Claire Danes as CIA officer Carrie Mathison and is based on the Israeli series Prisoners of War (Hatufim).

What it is

Homeland is an espionage thriller drama developed by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa. The series follows CIA officer Carrie Mathison and other intelligence figures as they deal with terrorism, counterintelligence, and threats to U.S. national security. Early seasons focus on Mathison’s suspicion that a U.S. Marine captured by al-Qaeda has been turned by the enemy.

Production and origins

The series was developed for American television by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, adapting Gideon Raff’s Israeli series Prisoners of War (Hatufim). It premiered on Showtime on October 2, 2011, and ran for eight seasons and 96 episodes, ending on April 26, 2020.

Canadian context

Homeland aired widely in Canada through pay-television and streaming distribution tied to Showtime programming. It also formed part of the broader North American television conversation about espionage drama and post-9/11 security themes.

In short

  • Espionage thriller series on Showtime (2011–2020).
  • Claire Danes stars as CIA officer Carrie Mathison.
  • Adapted from Israeli series Prisoners of War (Hatufim).
  • Eight seasons, 96 episodes.
Canadian angle

Homeland aired widely in Canada through pay-television and streaming distribution tied to Showtime programming, and it was also part of the broader North American television conversation about espionage drama and post-9/11 security themes.

Quick questions

What is Homeland about?
It is an espionage thriller about CIA officer Carrie Mathison and U.S. intelligence operations involving terrorism and national security threats.
Who created Homeland?
It was developed by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, based on Gideon Raff’s Israeli series Prisoners of War.
How many seasons and episodes does Homeland have?
The series has eight seasons and 96 episodes.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeland_(TV_series)
    Supports: Series development, premise, cast, Showtime broadcast, premiere and finale dates, adaptation basis
  2. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Homeland_episodes
    Supports: Episode count, season count, series overview, premiere and conclusion dates
  3. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeland_season_8
    Supports: Final season premiere and conclusion dates
  4. Encyclopaedia Britannica — https://www.britannica.com/topic/Homeland
    Supports: General identification of Homeland as an American television series