man talking on pay phone in street

Netflix viewers on the lookout for the ultimate weekend binge-watch are in for a treat as the streaming platform recently added all eight seasons of the Emmy-winning espionage series Homeland. The cat-and-mouse story, adapted by Howard Gordon (24, The X-Files) and Alex Gansa (24, Dawson’s Creek), stars Claire Danes as a CIA agent who suspects a returning prisoner of war (Damian Lewis) of working with his captors in a terrorist plot against America.

For anyone who’s been loving Netflix’s latest thriller The Beast in Me, and have been totally captivated by Danes’s performance as an author who becomes obsessed with her neighbour, then Homeland should be next on your watchlist. The actress’s turn as CIA agent Carrie Mathison has been widely praised by audiences and critics, and won her several awards, including an Emmy and a Golden Globe. Plus, with eight seasons to get stuck into, you won’t need to move from your sofa this weekend. But before the binge-watch begins, find out all you need to know…

Damian Lewis in HomelandDamian Lewis stars in Homeland

What is Homeland about?

The series, which ran from 2011 to 2020, centres around CIA analyst Carrie Matheson, who becomes convinced that a decorated prisoner of war has been turned and now works for al-Qaida.

When Marine Sgt. Nicholas Brody is found alive after seven years of being missing in action, he’s given a hero’s welcome when he returns home to the US. But CIA officer Matheson is convinced that the intelligence which led to his rescue was a setup and that Brody may be connected to an Al-Qaeda terrorist plot against the United States. Can Carrie unravel the plot before it’s too late?

homeland The series ran from 2011 to 2020

What have critics and viewers said about the show?

The acclaimed series is a big hit among viewers and critics alike, and won the 2012 Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, the Golden Globe Award for Best Drama, and Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor and Leading Actress for Damian Lewis and Claire Danes, respectively.

Meanwhile, the show landed a spot on Variety’s 100 greatest TV shows of all time in 2023, while viewers have hailed the show as the “best TV series of all time” and “absolutely phenomenal” on social media.

Who stars in Homeland?

Claire Danes (The Beast in Me) leads the cast as Carrie Mathison, alongside Damian Lewis (Wolf Hall), who stars as Nicholas Brody for three seasons. They’re joined by Mandy Patinkin (Criminal Minds) as Saul Berenson, Morena Baccarin (Deadpool) as Jessica Brody, Jackson Pace (Grace and Frankie) as Chris Brody, Morgan Saylor (White Girl) as Dana Brody, Diego Klattenhoff (The Blacklist) as Mike Faber, David Harewood (Blood Diamond) as David Estes, Navid Negahban (Castlevania) as Abu Nazir and Rohan Chand (Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle) as Issa Nazir.

woman in suit sitting on chair in office© Inc/Everett/Shutterstock
Claire Danes. plays CIA agent Carrie Mathison

A number of major stars appeared in the show during its run, including Rupert Friend, whose character Peter Quinn became a central figure in later seasons, as well as Timothée Chalamet, Tracy Letts, James D’Arcy and Morgan Spector. Fans should also look out for Hugh Dancy, Claire Danes’ real-life husband, who plays foreign policy advisor John Zabel.

What is Homeland based on?

The series is loosely based on Gideon Raff’s Israeli television series, Prisoners of War, and centres on an American soldier taken prisoner during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. There are also two prequel novels by Andrew Kaplan, Homeland: Carrie’s Run and Homeland: Saul’s Game, which were released during the show’s third and fourth seasons.