Common Sense Media Review
By Matt Springer
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Intense political thriller with major mature content.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Homeland
What's the Story?
HOMELAND follows the intertwining paths of two main characters. Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) is a CIA operations officer who has been exiled to a desk after a controversial operation in Iraq. Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) is an American prisoner of war who has been rescued after being held captive in Iraq since 2003. As Carrie begins to suspect that Brody is actually a double agent for an Iraqi terror cell, her credibility and sanity begin to fray, even as forces move into place that suggest an impending terrorist attack on American soil.
Is It Any Good?
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.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the show's sexual content. Do the nudity and graphic sex help to advance the plot or reveal characters? Why is it included?
Are any of the characters in this series role models? Do characters have to be perfect to be considered role models or can they have flaws?
Do you think the series offers an accurate impression of how the CIA and covert operations are run? How would you find out?
TV Details
- Premiere date : October 2, 2011
- Cast : Claire Danes , Damian Lewis , Morena Baccarin
- Network : Showtime
- Genre : Action
- TV rating :
- Awards : Emmy - Emmy Award Winner , Golden Globe - Golden Globe Award Winner
- Last updated : April 4, 2025
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