Homeland (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Homeland is an American psychological thriller
television series developed by Howard Gordon
and Alex Gansa
, based on the Israeli series Hatufim, also known as Prisoners of War, which was created by Gideon Raff. The series stars Claire Danes
as Carrie Mathison, a CIA operations officer who has come to believe that an American Marine, 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.
The series is broadcast in the United States on the cable channel Showtime, and is produced by Fox 21. It premiered on October 2, 2011. The first episode was made available online, over two weeks prior to broadcast, with viewers having to complete some tasks to unlock access. Showtime renewed the series for a second season of 12 episodes, with production scheduled to begin in spring 2012.
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
. While she was conducting the operation in Iraq, Carrie was warned by an asset
that an American prisoner of war
had been turned by Al-Qaeda
. Carrie's job is complicated when her boss, Director of the Counterterrorism Center David Estes, calls Carrie and her colleagues in for an emergency briefing. It is then that 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 that her asset in Iraq was talking about. However, the federal government and her superiors at the CIA consider Nicholas Brody a war hero. Realizing it would be next to impossible to convince her boss, David Estes, to place Brody under surveillance, Carrie approaches the only other person she can trust, Saul Berenson. The two must now work together to investigate Brody and prevent another terrorist attack on American soil.
and Alex Gansa
in early 2010. On September 19, 2010, Showtime placed a pilot order for Homeland as the first project David Nevins had undertaken since leaving Imagine Entertainment
to become president of Showtime. Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa and Gideon Raff wrote the pilot, Michael Cuesta
directed the pilot, with Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa, Gideon Raff, Avi Nir and Ran Telem serving as executive producers.
On April 7, 2011, Showtime green-lighted the series with an order of 12 episodes. It was announced that Chip Johannessen
would be joining the series as a co-executive producer, while Michael Cuesta, who had served as the director on the pilot, would join the series as an executive producer.
On July 21, 2011, at the San Diego Comic-Con, Showtime announced that the series would premiere on October 2, 2011. Along with the announcement of the premiere date for the series, the network also announced that the names of the characters portrayed by Claire Danes and Damian Lewis had been renamed Carrie Mathison and Nicholas Brody, respectively. The series is produced by Fox 21.
first to be cast. Danes portrays Carrie Mathison, "a driven CIA officer battling her own psychological demons." Next to join the series was Mandy Patinkin
as Saul Berenson, "the smart and politically savvy CIA Division Chief Saul Berenson who is Carrie's main champion in the intelligence upper echelon and her sounding board." Laura Fraser
was next to be cast as Jessica Brody, "Nick Brody's smart, strong wife." Next to join the series was Damian Lewis
and David Harewood
, with Lewis playing Brody, "who returns home after spending eight years as a prisoner of war in Baghdad", while Harewood was cast as David Estes, "a rising star in the CIA, Carrie's boss David Estes is the youngest director of the Counterterrorism Center in the Agency's history." Diego Klattenhoff
, Morgan Saylor and Jackson Pace were the last actors to join the main cast, with Klattenhoff playing Mike Faber, "Brody's close friend and fellow Marine, Mike Faber was convinced that Brody was dead, which is how he justified falling in love with Brody's wife Jessica", Saylor playing Dana Brody, "The Brodys' oldest child", and Pace playing Chris Brody, "Nick and Jessica's eager-to-please, self-conscious thirteen year-old son."
Showtime announced that Laura Fraser would not be continuing past the pilot and her role had been re-cast with Morena Baccarin
taking over the role of Jessica Brody. It was later announced that Jamey Sheridan
, Navid Negahban
, Amir Arison and Brianna Brown
had joined the series as recurring guest stars. Sheridan was cast as the Vice President of the United States
, Negahban was cast as Abu Nazir, with Arison playing Prince Farid Bin Abbud and Brown playing Lynne Reed.
. Numerous scenes were filmed at the Carolinas Aviation Museum
.
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." Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe
said it was his favorite drama pilot of the season, giving it an A. Entertainment Weekly
s Ken Tucker
gave it an A-, stating "It's the fall season's most intriguing, tense puzzler." 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
.
which also starred Patinkin, with 1.11 million in 2003). The episode received a total of 2.78 million viewers with additional broadcasts and on demand
views.
Psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the broad ranged thriller with heavy focus on characters. However, it often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre, along with the typical traits of the thriller genre...
television series developed by Howard Gordon
Howard Gordon
Howard Gordon is an American screenwriter and producer.-Life and career:Gordon was born in Queens, New York, New York. After graduating from Princeton in 1984, Gordon came to Los Angeles with fellow filmmaker Alex Gansa to pursue a career in writing for television. Both broke into the industry...
and Alex Gansa
Alex Gansa
Alex Gansa is a screenwriter and producer.He produced and wrote a number of scripts for the Beauty and the Beast television series. He later worked as a writer and supervising producer on The X-Files in its first two seasons, and on Dawson's Creek in its third season...
, based on the Israeli series Hatufim, also known as Prisoners of War, which was created by Gideon Raff. The series stars Claire Danes
Claire Danes
Claire Catherine Danes is an American actress of television, stage and film. She has appeared in roles as diverse as Angela Chase in My So-Called Life, as Juliet in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, as Kate Brewster in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, as Yvaine in Stardust and as Temple Grandin in...
as Carrie Mathison, a CIA operations officer who has come to believe that an American Marine, who was held captive by Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
as a prisoner of war, was turned by the enemy and now poses a significant risk to national security.
The series is broadcast in the United States on the cable channel Showtime, and is produced by Fox 21. It premiered on October 2, 2011. The first episode was made available online, over two weeks prior to broadcast, with viewers having to complete some tasks to unlock access. Showtime renewed the series for a second season of 12 episodes, with production scheduled to begin in spring 2012.
Overview
The series follows Carrie Mathison, a CIACentral Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
operations officer who, after conducting an unauthorized operation in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, is put on probation and reassigned to the CIA's counterterrorism center in Langley, Virginia
Langley, Virginia
Langley is an unincorporated community in the census-designated place of McLean in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States.The community was essentially absorbed into McLean many years ago, although there is still a Langley High School...
. While she was conducting the operation in Iraq, Carrie was warned by an asset
Asset (intelligence)
In intelligence, assets are persons within organizations or countries that are being spied upon who provide information for an outside spy.There are different categories of assets, including people...
that an American prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
had been turned by Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
. Carrie's job is complicated when her boss, Director of the Counterterrorism Center David Estes, calls Carrie and her colleagues in for an emergency briefing. It is then that Carrie learns that Nicholas Brody, a U.S. Marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
Sergeant who had been reported as missing in action
Missing in action
Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...
since 2003, has been rescued during a Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
raid on a compound belonging to terrorist Abu Nazir. Carrie comes to believe that Brody is the American prisoner of war that her asset in Iraq was talking about. However, the federal government and her superiors at the CIA consider Nicholas Brody a war hero. Realizing it would be next to impossible to convince her boss, David Estes, to place Brody under surveillance, Carrie approaches the only other person she can trust, Saul Berenson. The two must now work together to investigate Brody and prevent another terrorist attack on American soil.
Main cast
- Claire DanesClaire DanesClaire Catherine Danes is an American actress of television, stage and film. She has appeared in roles as diverse as Angela Chase in My So-Called Life, as Juliet in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, as Kate Brewster in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, as Yvaine in Stardust and as Temple Grandin in...
as Carrie Mathison, a CIA operations officer assigned to the Counterterrorism Center. - Damian LewisDamian LewisLewis was born in St John's Wood, London, the son of Charlotte Mary and J. Watcyn Lewis, a City broker. His paternal grandparents were Welsh. His maternal grandfather was Lord Mayor of London Ian Frank Bowater and his maternal grandmother's ancestors include Bertrand Dawson, 1st Viscount Dawson of...
as Nicholas Brody, a U.S. MarineUnited States Marine CorpsThe United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
Sergeant who was rescued by Delta ForceDelta Force1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
after being held by Al-QaedaAl-QaedaAl-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
as a prisoner of warPrisoner of warA prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
for eight years. - Morena BaccarinMorena BaccarinMorena Baccarin is a Brazilian-born American actress most widely known for roles in several American science fiction television shows: as Inara Serra in the series Firefly; as Adria in the series Stargate SG-1; and as Anna in the 2009 version of the series V...
as Jessica Brody, Nicholas Brody's wife. - David HarewoodDavid HarewoodDavid Harewood is a British actor.-Biography:David Harewood was born and grew up in the Small Heath area of Birmingham, England, where he attended St. Benedict's Junior School and Washwood Heath Comprehensive School. As a schoolboy, he excelled at all sports—from sprinting to basketball to rugby...
as David Estes, the Director of the CIA's Counterterrorism Center. He is Carrie's boss. - Diego KlattenhoffDiego KlattenhoffDiego Klattenhoff is a Canadian actor best known for playing Derek in Whistler and Ivan in Men in Trees.-Career:Diego Klattenhoff studied with some of Canada's most respected acting coaches, including David Rotenberg, Bruce Clayton and Rae Ellen Bodie, and eventually his dedication and persistence...
as Mike Faber, as a U.S. Marine Captain. He was Nicholas' best friend who, assuming he was dead, started dating Jessica Brody. - Jackson Pace as Chris Brody, Nicholas Brody's son.
- Morgan Saylor as Dana Brody, Nicholas Brody's daughter.
- Mandy PatinkinMandy PatinkinMandel Bruce "Mandy" Patinkin is an award-winning American actor of stage and screen and a tenor vocalist. He is a noted interpreter of the musical works of Stephen Sondheim, and is best-known for his work in musical theatre, originating iconic roles such as Georges Seurat in Sunday in the Park...
as Saul Berenson, the CIA's Middle-East Division Chief. He is Carrie's old boss and mentor.
Recurring cast
- Jamey SheridanJamey SheridanJames Patrick "Jamey" Sheridan is an American actor. He was born in Pasadena, California.He has had a prolific acting career in theater, television, and feature film productions. Born to a family of actors, he made it to Broadway and earned a Tony nomination in 1987 for his performance in the...
as the Vice President of the United StatesVice President of the United StatesThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term... - Navid NegahbanNavid NegahbanNavid Negahban , is an Iranian American actor. He often plays terrorists in movies and television series, but sometimes plays evil magicians in some TV movies. He plays both Arabs and Iranians...
as Abu Nazir, a high ranking member of Al-Qaeda. - Amir Arison as Farid Bin Abbud, Royal Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Brianna BrownBrianna BrownBrianna Lynn Brown is an American actress.Brown was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota. After starting out as a singer she changed her focus to acting after being talked into going out for a high school musical by a student teacher...
as Lynne Reed, a former member of Prince Farid Bin Abbud's harem. - David MarcianoDavid MarcianoDavid Marciano is an American actor who appeared as Detective Raymond Vecchio in the television series Due South...
as Virgil, Carrie's contact aiding in the surveillance of Brody. - Sarita ChoudhurySarita ChoudhurySarita Catherine Louise Choudhury is an English actress.-Biography:Choudhury was born in Blackheath, London, England, of half Bengali-Indian and half English descent. Her parents, Prabhas Chandra Choudhury, a scientist, and Julia Patricia Spring, married in 1964 in Lucea, Jamaica...
as Mira Berenson, Saul's wife. - Linda PurlLinda PurlLinda Purl is an American actress and singer, perhaps best known for portraying Ben Matlock's daughter Charlene Matlock in season one of Matlock.-Early life and education abroad:...
as Elizabeth Gaines
Development history
Based on Gideon Raff's Israeli series Hatufim, also known as Prisoners of War, Homeland was developed by Howard GordonHoward Gordon
Howard Gordon is an American screenwriter and producer.-Life and career:Gordon was born in Queens, New York, New York. After graduating from Princeton in 1984, Gordon came to Los Angeles with fellow filmmaker Alex Gansa to pursue a career in writing for television. Both broke into the industry...
and Alex Gansa
Alex Gansa
Alex Gansa is a screenwriter and producer.He produced and wrote a number of scripts for the Beauty and the Beast television series. He later worked as a writer and supervising producer on The X-Files in its first two seasons, and on Dawson's Creek in its third season...
in early 2010. On September 19, 2010, Showtime placed a pilot order for Homeland as the first project David Nevins had undertaken since leaving Imagine Entertainment
Imagine Entertainment
Imagine Entertainment is a film and television production company founded in 1986 by director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer.Its productions include the television series 24 and Arrested Development and the films Apollo 13 , A Beautiful Mind and The Da Vinci Code .-Organization:Karen...
to become president of Showtime. Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa and Gideon Raff wrote the pilot, Michael Cuesta
Michael Cuesta
Michael Cuesta is an American film and television director. Cuesta co-wrote and directed the 2001 independent film, L.I.E.. He has directed and produced television series including Six Feet Under, Dexter and Blue Bloods.-Biography:He received a BFA in photography from the School of Visual Arts in...
directed the pilot, with Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa, Gideon Raff, Avi Nir and Ran Telem serving as executive producers.
On April 7, 2011, Showtime green-lighted the series with an order of 12 episodes. It was announced that Chip Johannessen
Chip Johannessen
George F. "Chip" Johannessen is an American writer, editor, and producer of numerous television series. Johannessen is credited with work on 24, Moonlight, Millennium, and Beverly Hills, 90210, among others.-Biography:...
would be joining the series as a co-executive producer, while Michael Cuesta, who had served as the director on the pilot, would join the series as an executive producer.
On July 21, 2011, at the San Diego Comic-Con, Showtime announced that the series would premiere on October 2, 2011. Along with the announcement of the premiere date for the series, the network also announced that the names of the characters portrayed by Claire Danes and Damian Lewis had been renamed Carrie Mathison and Nicholas Brody, respectively. The series is produced by Fox 21.
Casting
Casting announcements began in November 2010, with Claire DanesClaire Danes
Claire Catherine Danes is an American actress of television, stage and film. She has appeared in roles as diverse as Angela Chase in My So-Called Life, as Juliet in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, as Kate Brewster in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, as Yvaine in Stardust and as Temple Grandin in...
first to be cast. Danes portrays Carrie Mathison, "a driven CIA officer battling her own psychological demons." Next to join the series was Mandy Patinkin
Mandy Patinkin
Mandel Bruce "Mandy" Patinkin is an award-winning American actor of stage and screen and a tenor vocalist. He is a noted interpreter of the musical works of Stephen Sondheim, and is best-known for his work in musical theatre, originating iconic roles such as Georges Seurat in Sunday in the Park...
as Saul Berenson, "the smart and politically savvy CIA Division Chief Saul Berenson who is Carrie's main champion in the intelligence upper echelon and her sounding board." Laura Fraser
Laura Fraser
Laura Fraser is a Scottish actress.-Early life:Fraser is the daughter of Rose, a college lecturer and nurse, and Alister Fraser, a scriptwriter who also worked in business. She attended Hillhead High School and is a former member of the Scottish Youth Theatre...
was next to be cast as Jessica Brody, "Nick Brody's smart, strong wife." Next to join the series was Damian Lewis
Damian Lewis
Lewis was born in St John's Wood, London, the son of Charlotte Mary and J. Watcyn Lewis, a City broker. His paternal grandparents were Welsh. His maternal grandfather was Lord Mayor of London Ian Frank Bowater and his maternal grandmother's ancestors include Bertrand Dawson, 1st Viscount Dawson of...
and David Harewood
David Harewood
David Harewood is a British actor.-Biography:David Harewood was born and grew up in the Small Heath area of Birmingham, England, where he attended St. Benedict's Junior School and Washwood Heath Comprehensive School. As a schoolboy, he excelled at all sports—from sprinting to basketball to rugby...
, with Lewis playing Brody, "who returns home after spending eight years as a prisoner of war in Baghdad", while Harewood was cast as David Estes, "a rising star in the CIA, Carrie's boss David Estes is the youngest director of the Counterterrorism Center in the Agency's history." Diego Klattenhoff
Diego Klattenhoff
Diego Klattenhoff is a Canadian actor best known for playing Derek in Whistler and Ivan in Men in Trees.-Career:Diego Klattenhoff studied with some of Canada's most respected acting coaches, including David Rotenberg, Bruce Clayton and Rae Ellen Bodie, and eventually his dedication and persistence...
, Morgan Saylor and Jackson Pace were the last actors to join the main cast, with Klattenhoff playing Mike Faber, "Brody's close friend and fellow Marine, Mike Faber was convinced that Brody was dead, which is how he justified falling in love with Brody's wife Jessica", Saylor playing Dana Brody, "The Brodys' oldest child", and Pace playing Chris Brody, "Nick and Jessica's eager-to-please, self-conscious thirteen year-old son."
Showtime announced that Laura Fraser would not be continuing past the pilot and her role had been re-cast with Morena Baccarin
Morena Baccarin
Morena Baccarin is a Brazilian-born American actress most widely known for roles in several American science fiction television shows: as Inara Serra in the series Firefly; as Adria in the series Stargate SG-1; and as Anna in the 2009 version of the series V...
taking over the role of Jessica Brody. It was later announced that Jamey Sheridan
Jamey Sheridan
James Patrick "Jamey" Sheridan is an American actor. He was born in Pasadena, California.He has had a prolific acting career in theater, television, and feature film productions. Born to a family of actors, he made it to Broadway and earned a Tony nomination in 1987 for his performance in the...
, Navid Negahban
Navid Negahban
Navid Negahban , is an Iranian American actor. He often plays terrorists in movies and television series, but sometimes plays evil magicians in some TV movies. He plays both Arabs and Iranians...
, Amir Arison and Brianna Brown
Brianna Brown
Brianna Lynn Brown is an American actress.Brown was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota. After starting out as a singer she changed her focus to acting after being talked into going out for a high school musical by a student teacher...
had joined the series as recurring guest stars. Sheridan was cast as the Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
, Negahban was cast as Abu Nazir, with Arison playing Prince Farid Bin Abbud and Brown playing Lynne Reed.
Filming
Filming of the pilot took place in Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
. Numerous scenes were filmed at the Carolinas Aviation Museum
Carolinas Aviation Museum
The Carolinas Aviation Museum is an aviation museum on the grounds of Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina. The mission of the Museum is to educate the public about the importance of aviation to our society and inspire the next generation to excel academically in the...
.
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | DVD DVD A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions.... and Blu-ray Blu-ray Disc Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs... release date |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere Season premiere In North America, a season premiere is the first episode of a new season of a given television show. It often airs in September or October, after several months of reruns.-Evaluating the changes:... |
Season finale Season finale A season finale is the final episode of a season of a television program... |
Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | |||
Critical reception
The pilot episode has received universal acclaim, scoring a Metacritic rating of 91 out of 100 from 28 critics. Hank StueverHank Stuever
Hank Stuever is an American journalist who writes about popular culture for the Style section of the Washington Post. In 2009, he became one of the paper's TV critics. He is a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing, in 1993 and 1996...
of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
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." Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
said it was his favorite drama pilot of the season, giving it an A. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Ken Tucker
Ken Tucker
Ken Tucker was an English footballer who played as a left winger....
gave it an A-, stating "It's the fall season's most intriguing, tense puzzler." IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
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
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
.
Ratings
The original broadcast of the pilot episode on October 2, 2011 at 10:00 pm received 1.08 million viewers, becoming Showtime's highest-rated drama premiere in eight years (since Dead Like MeDead Like Me
Dead Like Me was an American-Canadian comedy-drama television series starring Ellen Muth and Mandy Patinkin as grim reapers who reside and work in Seattle, Washington. Filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, the show was created by Bryan Fuller for the Showtime network, where it ran for two seasons...
which also starred Patinkin, with 1.11 million in 2003). The episode received a total of 2.78 million viewers with additional broadcasts and on demand
Video on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
views.
International broadcasting
| Country | Network | Premiere date |
|---|---|---|
 Sweden |
Sveriges Television Sveriges Television Sveriges Television AB , Sweden's Television, is a national television broadcaster based in Sweden, funded by a compulsory fee to be paid by all television owners... |
November 23, 2011 |
 Australia |
Network Ten Network Ten Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country... |
TBA |
 United Kingdom |
Channel 4 Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel... |
TBA |
 Israel |
yes | TBA |
 Netherlands |
BNN | January 1, 2012 |
 Norway |
TV 2 TV 2 (Norway) TV 2 is the largest commercial television station in Norway. Over 30% of the time Norwegians spend watching TV is spent watching TV 2. The station has 65% of the market for TV commercials in Norway.... |
November 21, 2011 |
 India |
STAR World STAR World STAR World is an Asian English language cable and satellite television network owned by Star TV and Fox International Channels, fully owned subsidiaries of News Corporation. The channel is the successor of STAR Plus, a subsidiary of News Corporation... |
TBA |