Homeland

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks shows that utilize the seminal event as a plot point or character motivator have proliferated. It can often seem pandering or heavy-handed, but Homeland manages to sidestep any cheap exploitation, using the latent paranoia persistent in American culture to fuel a dark, intense political thriller that pits a fraying CIA agent against a POW who has been converted to terrorism.

Homeland is perhaps most reminiscent of 24, another series that utilized post-9/11 paranoia to fuel its season-to-season stories of evil forces at work on American soil. Howard Gordon served as an executive producer on 24 and is also producing Homeland; he brings a similar sensibility to the series. There's a constant suspense and forward motion to the plotting that effortlessly weaves in character detail and emotional conflict alongside the intelligence machinations and political posturing. That focus on constantly moving forward, propelling these characters toward their inevitable collisions with one another, makes Homeland a pulse-pounding hour of television.