Homeland (season 1)

The first season of the American television drama series Homeland premiered on October 2, 2011 on Showtime and concluded on December 18, 2011, consisting of 12 episodes. The series is loosely based on the Israeli television series Hatufim (English: Prisoners of War) created by Gideon Raff and is developed for American television by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa.[1] The first season follows Carrie Mathison, a CIA operations officer who has come to believe that Nicholas Brody, a U.S. Marine Sergeant, who was held captive by al-Qaeda as a prisoner of war, was turned by the enemy and now poses a significant risk to national security.[2]

Homeland
Season 1
DVD cover art
Starring
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes12
Release
Original networkShowtime
Original releaseOctober 2 (2011-10-02) –
December 18, 2011 (2011-12-18)
Season chronology

The season received universal acclaim, scoring a Metacritic rating of 91 out of 100 from 28 critics.[3] TV Guide named it the best TV show of 2011[4] and highly applauded the performances by Damian Lewis and Claire Danes.[5] Metacritic determined Homeland to be the second-best TV show of 2011 according to major TV critics, by aggregating the critics' year-end top ten lists.[6] The series won both the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series for this season.

The original broadcast of the pilot episode on October 2, 2011 received 1.08 million viewers, becoming Showtime's highest-rated drama premiere in eight years. The episode received a total of 2.78 million viewers with additional broadcasts and on demand views.[7] The finale episode of season one received 1.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched season finale of any first-year Showtime series.[8] The series also performed well in the UK, where it aired on Channel 4, with the pilot episode drawing 3.10 million viewers, and the finale drawing 4.01 million viewers.[9]

Cast
Main article: List of Homeland characters

Main
Claire Danes, Damian Lewis and Mandy Patinkin (left to right) portray lead roles Carrie Mathison, Nicholas Brody and Saul Berenson, respectively.
Morena Baccarin, David Harewood and Diego Klattenhoff (left to right) portray Jessica Brody, David Estes and Mike Faber, respectively.

Recurring
  • Jamey Sheridan as William Walden, Vice President of the United States and former director of the CIA
  • Navid Negahban as Abu Nazir, a high-ranking member of al-Qaeda
  • David Marciano as Virgil Piotrowski, Carrie's contact aiding in the surveillance of Brody
  • Maury Sterling as Max Piotrowski, Virgil's brother who also aids in the surveillance of Brody
  • Afton Williamson as Helen Walker, Tom Walker's wife
  • Amy Hargreaves as Maggie Mathison, Carrie's older sister and a psychiatrist
  • Alok Tewari as Latif Bin Walid
  • Omid Abtahi as Raqim Faisel, Aileen's husband who is also part of a sleeper cell
  • Marin Ireland as Aileen Morgan, an anti-American terrorist part of a sleeper cell
  • Hrach Titizian as Danny Galvez, a CIA agent of Guatemalan and Lebanese origin
  • Sarita Choudhury as Mira Berenson, Saul's wife who is often out of the country
  • Chris Chalk as Tom Walker, a U.S. Marine who was captured along with Brody
  • Ramsey Faragallah as Mansour Al-Zahrani

Guest

Episodes
See also: List of Homeland episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		US viewers
(millions)
11"Pilot"Michael CuestaHoward Gordon & Alex Gansa & Gideon RaffOctober 2, 2011 (2011-10-02)1WAH791.08[10]
22"Grace"Michael CuestaStory by : Alex Gansa
Teleplay by : Alexander Cary		October 9, 2011 (2011-10-09)1WAH010.94[11]
33"Clean Skin"Dan AttiasChip JohannessenOctober 16, 2011 (2011-10-16)1WAH021.08[12]
44"Semper I"Jeffrey NachmanoffHoward Gordon & Alex GansaOctober 23, 2011 (2011-10-23)1WAH031.10[13]
55"Blind Spot"Clark JohnsonAlexander CaryOctober 30, 2011 (2011-10-30)1WAH041.28[14]
66"The Good Soldier"Brad TurnerHenry BromellNovember 6, 2011 (2011-11-06)1WAH051.33[15]
77"The Weekend"Michael CuestaMeredith StiehmNovember 13, 2011 (2011-11-13)1WAH061.42[16]
88"Achilles Heel"Tucker GatesChip JohannessenNovember 20, 2011 (2011-11-20)1WAH071.20[17]
99"Crossfire"Jeffrey NachmanoffAlexander CaryNovember 27, 2011 (2011-11-27)1WAH081.35[18]
1010"Representative Brody"Guy FerlandHenry BromellDecember 4, 2011 (2011-12-04)1WAH091.22[19]
1111"The Vest"Clark JohnsonMeredith Stiehm & Chip JohannessenDecember 11, 2011 (2011-12-11)1WAH101.32[20]
1212"Marine One"Michael CuestaStory by : Alex Gansa & Howard Gordon
Teleplay by : Alex Gansa & Chip Johannessen		December 18, 2011 (2011-12-18)1WAH111.71[21]

Plot

The first season follows Carrie Mathison, a Central Intelligence Agency operations officer who, after conducting an unauthorized operation in Iraq, is put on probation and reassigned to the CIA's Counterterrorism Center in Langley, Virginia. In Iraq, Carrie was warned by an asset that an American prisoner of war had been turned by al-Qaeda. Carrie has also been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a fact that she conceals from the CIA. She surreptitiously receives medication for the disorder from her sister.

Carrie's job grows complicated when her boss, Director of the Counterterrorism Center David Estes, calls Carrie and her colleagues in for an emergency briefing. Carrie learns that Nicholas Brody, a U.S. Marine Sergeant who had been reported as missing in action since 2003, has been rescued during a Delta Force raid on a compound belonging to terrorist Abu Nazir. Carrie comes to believe that Brody is the American prisoner of war whom her asset in Iraq was talking about. However, the federal government and her superiors at the CIA consider Brody a war hero. Later, another Marine captured at the same time, Tom Walker, is also found to be still alive, casting doubt on which of the Marines is the suspected spy.

Realizing it would be nearly impossible to convince her boss to place Brody under surveillance, Carrie approaches the only other person she can trust, her mentor, Saul Berenson. The two must now work together to investigate Brody and prevent another terrorist attack on American soil. Eventually, Brody plans to assassinate the Vice President with a suicide vest but falters at the last moment after an emotional conversation with his daughter Dana. Carrie becomes more paranoid that Brody plans to carry out a terroristic act.

Reception

The first season scored a Metacritic rating of 91 out of 100 from 28 critics.[22] TV Guide named it the best TV show of 2011[4] and highly applauded the performances by Damian Lewis and Claire Danes.[5] Metacritic determined Homeland to be the second-best TV show of 2011 according to major TV critics, by aggregating the critics' year-end top-ten lists.[23]

Hank Stuever of The Washington Post gave the pilot episode an A−, saying "What makes Homeland rise above other post-9/11 dramas is Danes's stellar performance as Carrie — easily this season's strongest female character," and that "The latter half of the first episode is exhilarating. I'm hooked."[24] Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe said it was his favorite drama pilot of the season, giving it an A.[25] Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker gave it an A−, stating "It's the fall season's most intriguing, tense puzzler."[26] IGN TV gave it a positive review, saying that it was an "ace thriller" that also managed to have something to say about the "War on Terror".[27] The seventh episode, "The Weekend", was described by both the creators of the show and Damian Lewis as a "watershed" episode.[28][29]

Former US President Barack Obama has praised the show.[30][31][32]

Home media release

Homeland: The Complete First Season was released as a widescreen region 1 four-disc DVD and three-disc Blu-ray box set in the United States and Canada on August 28, 2012.[33] In addition to all 12 episodes that had aired, it includes audio commentary on the pilot episode, deleted scenes, "Homeland Season One: Under Surveillance" featurette, and "Week Ten: A Prologue to Season 2" featurette. The same set was also released on September 10, 2012 in region 2.[34]

The season is also available for streaming online via Hulu, as of August 1, 2016.[35]

References
  1. "Homeland – Listings". The New York Times. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  2. Stanley, Alessandra (September 29, 2011). "'Homeland,' Starring Claire Danes, on Showtime – Review". The New York Times. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  3. "Homeland: Season 1". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  4. "The Best TV Shows of 2011". TV Guide. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
  5. "The Best Performances of 2011". TV Guide. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
  6. "2011 Television Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
  7. Seidman, Robert (October 3, 2011). "'Homeland' Posts Best New Drama Series Debut Ratings on Showtime in 8 Years; 'Dexter' Sees Season Premiere High". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  8. Levine, Stuart (December 19, 2011). "'Homeland' scores 1.7 million for Sunday finale". Variety. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  9. "BARB, scroll to relevant week and select 'Channel 4' and 'Channel 4 +1'". Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  10. Seidman, Robert (October 4, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: Cards/Phillies, New Jersey 'Housewives' Top Night + 'Boardwalk Empire,' 'Hung,' 'Breaking Bad' & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  11. Gorman, Bill (October 11, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: Nothing Keeps Up With Kardashians; Plus 'Housewives NJ' Finale, 'Boardwalk Empire,' 'Breaking Bad,' 'Dexter' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
  12. Seidman, Robert (October 18, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Doubles NLCS + NJ Housewives, 'Boardwalk Empire,' 'Talking Dead,' 'Dexter' & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  13. Gorman, Bill (October 25, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Slips, Still Tops; + NJ Housewives, 'Boardwalk Empire,' 'Homeland,' 'Dexter' & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  14. Seidman, Robert (November 1, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Drops, Still Tops; + 'Boardwalk Empire,' 'Homeland,' 'Dexter' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
  15. Seidman, Robert (November 8, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead,' 'Hell On Wheels' Lead AMC + 'Boardwalk Empire,' 'Homeland,' 'Dexter' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  16. Gorman, Bill (November 15, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Stays On Top + 'Housewives Atl,' 'Hell On Wheels,' 'Boardwalk Empire,' 'Homeland,' 'Dexter' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  17. Gorman, Bill (November 22, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Stays On Top + NASCAR Championship, 'Housewives ATL,' 'Hell On Wheels,' 'Boardwalk Empire,' 'Homeland,' 'Dexter' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 22, 2011.
  18. Seidman, Robert (November 29, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Goes Out on Top + Kardashians, 'Housewives' 'Soul Train Awards,' 'Hell On Wheels,' 'Boardwalk Empire,' 'Homeland,' 'Dexter' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
  19. Gorman, Bill (December 6, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: Kourtney & Kim Top The Night + 'Housewives Atlanta,' 'Hell On Wheels,' 'Boardwalk Empire,' 'Homeland,' 'Dexter' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
  20. Seidman, Robert (December 13, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: Kourtney & Kim Top 'Housewives Atlanta' + ' 'Boardwalk Empire,' 'Bag of Bones,' 'Homeland,' 'Dexter' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  21. Gorman, Bill (December 20, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Housewives Atlanta' Top 'Kourtney & Kim' + 'Dexter,' 'Homeland,' 'Iron Chef,' 'Real Deal' Finales & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  22. "Homeland: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  23. "2011 Television Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
  24. Stuever, Hank. "2011 TV season: Few smooth takeoffs, many bumpy arrivals". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  25. Gilbert, Matthew (September 4, 2011). "Which new fall series make the grade?". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on July 25, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  26. Tucker, Ken. "Homeland". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  27. Collura, Scott (September 30, 2011). "Homeland: "Pilot" Review". IGN. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  28. "With the Creators: The Weekend". Showtime. Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
  29. Licuria, Rob (December 8, 2011). "Damian Lewis loves keeping viewers 'on the edge of their seats' in 'Homeland'". GoldDerby. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
  30. Harnick, Chris (March 22, 2012). "President Obama Will Give 'Homeland' A Foreign Policy Heads Up". The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  31. Huver, Scott (March 22, 2012). "Homeland's Damian Lewis Meets His No. 1 Fan: President Obama". TV Guide. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  32. O'Connell, Michael; Nordyke, Kimberly (September 23, 2012). "Emmys 2012: 'Homeland' Stars on Their 'Hugely Validating' Fan, President Obama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  33. Lambert, David (June 14, 2012). "Homeland - DVD, Blu-ray Announcement and Artwork for the Show Starring Claire Danes and Damian Lewis". TVShowsonDVD. Archived from the original on June 16, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  34. "Homeland - Season 1 (Blu-ray)". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
  35. Long, Stephanie Topacio (August 1, 2016). "Now streaming: Showtime's hit political thriller 'Homeland' lands on Hulu". Digital Trends. Retrieved January 8, 2017.


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