It’s Official: Homeland to end after upcoming eighth season

We now have official confirmation that Showtime’s Homeland will be ending its run with its upcoming eighth season.

Deadline reports that at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, David Nevins, president and CEO of Showtime, announced that while there would only be one more season of Homeland, the decision wasn’t a cancellation.

Nevins explained,

"Alex Gansa will be bringing his show to its proper conclusion. I can’t say how much it has meant to the acceleration of our brand and for me personally: It was the first series I greenlit. Alex and Claire talked about this (with us) last season. Alex brought it in and Claire has been the mainstay. But the two of them finally made the decision."

Homeland was renewed for seasons 7 and 8 before its sixth season aired, so the network has long had confidence in the series.

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The political thriller, which stars Claire Danes as former CIA agent Carrie Mathison, was created by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, who continues to shepherd the series. The series has earned eight Emmys, including Outstanding Drama Series in its first season and Outstanding Lead Actress for Danes in its first and second seasons.

In April when Danes appeared on Howard Stern’s Sirius XM show, she told the host that season 8 would be Homeland‘s last. As a result, fans have suspected the show’s next season would be its swan song for some time, but this is the first official confirmation from Showtime.

While no premiere date for the final season of Homeland was announced, the show’s official Twitter account posted that the last run of episodes would begin in June 2019.

The globe-trotting series has had a long run at this point and ending it now is a good call. The show was a sensation when it first premiered and the first three seasons revolved around the mystery surrounding returned POW Nicholas Brody.

However, Homeland‘s storytelling has sprawled since then. Each subsequent season has taken place in a different location and Carrie and her mentor Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin) have had to contend with constantly evolving circumstances.

While the series often reflected the geopolitical upheaval taking place in the real world, it’s put its character through so much — both personally and professionally — that it feels merciful to send them off into the sunset.

Will you be sorry to see Homeland end its run? Share your thoughts in the comments.