Amy

The casting is brilliant! Everyone from Mandy Patinkin, Rupert Friend, Damien Lewis, Claire Danes, Maury Sterling and Numan Acar - perfect. I have binged all 8 seasons of Homeland about six times so far. I stan a TV program that's written with emotional and intellectual intelligence. I also really appreciate the more realistic portrayals of conflict areas, and the accompanying perspectives. No Big Spoilers from me - just this: There are no Good Guys and no Bad Guys. Everyone's a bit of both...the show starts with one "traitor" and ends with another...you will get invested in Saul Berenson, Brody, Peter Quinn, Carrie Mathison, and even Hassaim Haqquanni. I've seen a lot of complaints about Claire Danes as Carrie but in my opinion this is the best, most defining part she's ever played...she's not necessarily there to be "liked" and the fact that you develop a love/hate feeling about Carrie Mathison...I think that means she did it right. I'm relieved that they didn't cast the female lead as a typical "bimbo/spy" character. Carrie Mathison with her plain face and off the rack suit sets could be your neighbor, enemy, friend, coworker. She's relatable. The negative reviews make me sad because I think they're just a reflection of people's incapacity to think deeper, to empathize, and follow more than one plot line. Each season, each plot, and each character arc is complex but compatible with each other. If you're looking for cheap and frivolous TV, you probably won't like Homeland. But I love it. Homeland did an excellent job every single season representing the social and political atmospheres with the corresponding years in America. If you like shows that make you think and you've read this far down- I highly recommend. Five stars.