The Netflix TV lineup is going through some real changes at the moment. Original hits like Stranger Things and Bridgerton are on the verge of returning with new episodes, but the streamer is also losing some major licensed titles. After seeing several HBO shows exit, Netflix is about to lose the likes of Supernatural and Arrow (with more CW titles likely to follow). Fortunately, to offset some of those losses, Netflix just surprised subscribers with every season of an Emmy-winning drama hit.
On Thursday, Netflix added all eight seasons of Homeland, the hit Showtime series that ran from 2011 to 2020. The political thriller was a critical darling and consistent Emmy contender in its early seasons, and has always had a dedicated fan base. The entire story of CIA operative Carrie Matheson is now available to watch on Netflix in several territories around the world, including the US.
Play video
The timing of Homeland‘s surprise arrival on Netflix couldn’t be better for the streamer, as its award-winning star just had a brand new original launch on the service in recent weeks. Claire Danes, who led all eight seasons of Homeland, recently starred in Netflix’s own thriller The Beast in Me, alongside The Americans‘ Matthew Rhys. The Beast in Me is currently the number one show on Netflix in the United States, so suggesting Homeland to anybody wrapping up that series should be an easy sell.
Homeland is different than a lot of other shows in that it experiences a bit of a story shakeup after its first couple of seasons. In the first two installments of the series, Homeland follows a bipolar CIA operative (Danes) who believes a recently returned prisoner of war (Damian Lewis) has actually been turned and is preparing to carry out a terrorist attack on U.S. soil. That story is largely finished after the first two seasons (though Lewis’ character does briefly return later in the series), causing Homeland to pivot its direction.
After that saga, Homeland starts focusing on Carrie Matheson’s missions as a covert operative, keeping Danes and co-star Mandy Patinkin at the center of the drama while exploring other thrilling situations. Both Danes and Patinkin appear in all 96 episodes of Homeland throughout its eight seasons. Nobody else in the cast appears in more than 58 episodes.
In addition to those two and Lewis, the cast of Homeland over the course of its run includes Rupert Friend, Maury Sterling, F. Murray Abraham, and Morena Baccarin.
Are you looking forward to checking out Homeland now that it’s available on Netflix? Let us know in the comments!