Homeland (2011)
The nation sees a hero. She sees a threat.
CIA officer Carrie Mathison is tops in her field despite being bipolar, which makes her volatile and unpredictable. With the help of her long-time mentor Saul Berenson, Carrie fearlessly risks everything, including her personal well-being and even sanity, at every turn.
| Type | TV series |
|---|---|
| First aired | 2 October 2011 |
| Status | Ended, last episode 26 April 2020 |
| Genre | Drama, War & Politics, Crime |
| Created by | Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon |
| Starring | Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin and Maury Sterling |
| Seasons | 8 seasons, 96 episodes |
| Episode length | about 50 min |
| Time to watch it all | about 80 hours |
| Rated | TV-MA |
| Scores | TMDB users 7.6/10 |
Where to watch Homeland
Homeland is streaming on Netflix ($17.99 a month) in the US. It is also on Hulu ($18.99 a month). At ten hours a week, all of the series takes about 2 months of Netflix, or $35.98 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 12 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
What kind of watch this is
Homeland is an 80-hour puzzle where the hero is also the threat. Carrie Mathison is brilliant and bipolar, a combination that makes her the best at her job and the hardest to trust. She sees danger where the nation sees a hero. It is a slow burn that keeps you checking the clock, not because you are bored, but because you are terrified of what she might do next.
What the critics said
The critical consensus was lopsided. Metacritic assigned the first season a 92 out of 100, a score that places it firmly in the "universal acclaim" bracket. TV Guide crowned it the best show of 2011, and Metacritic’s year-end aggregation landed it at number 2. The second season climbed even higher, hitting 96. Then the wheels came off. The third season started at 77 but slid into the negative as it went on. Robert Rorke of the New York Post called the middle of that season "impossible to take seriously.
How it did with audiences
The pilot drew 1.08 million viewers on its original October 2011 broadcast, a figure that made it Showtime's highest-rated drama premiere in 8 years. By the time the first season finale aired, it pulled in 1.7 million viewers, securing the title of most-watched first-year Showtime series finale. The numbers kept climbing in Season 2, peaking at 2.36 million viewers.
What came next for the cast
Claire Danes moved from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) to Brigsby Bear (2017). Mandy Patinkin traded Criminal Minds (2005) for Wonder (2017). Rupert Friend swapped Pride & Prejudice (2005) for A Simple Favor (2018). The credits list what came next, not why. Careers rarely travel in straight lines.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Homeland.
Read more: Lioness
Sources
- Homeland on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q23594 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Homeland (TV series)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
Watch it without paying for the whole year
Binge Boss tracks the series you are on and tells you which services you need this month, and which you can cancel.
Add Homeland to your list