After raking in several nominations for ‘Homeland,’ Showtime recently announced that the political drama’s fifth season is scheduled for a premiere on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
The hit series is back in the competition by bagging multiple Emmy nominations this year after slipping from the TV Academy’s race in 2014 and failing to be recognized in the top category.
In 2012, ‘Homeland’ was honored with the award for Best Drama and Best Writing in a Drama Series. Series star Claire Danes took home the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series while former co-star Damian Lewis also bagged the award for Outstanding Lead Actor.
All in all, the CIA thriller raked in nine nominations during such year.
"It was truly unexpected and very gratifying at the same time," showrunner Alex Gansa told The Hollywood Reporter after bagging several Emmy nominations this year. "It's hard to make a comeback, especially in Hollywood. Now I can really be honest and reveal just how devastated I was last season when we didn't get a nomination [last year].”
Despite having a tough third season in terms of appealing to viewers, ‘Homeland’ went on to earn positive reviews for its recent fourth season, which was recognized as a “rebirth” for the hit series.
For its last season, the cast and crew transferred production from North Carolina to South Africa, which doubled for Pakistan. It had also cut off the romantic story between lead characters Carrie Mathison (Danes) and Nicholas Brody (Lewis) when the latter was killed off the show.
According to Gansa, his team seeks to maintain the momentum in the show's upcoming fifth season by adding new actors to the cast as well as incorporating changes into production and storyline, placing more emphasis on Berlin.
"This story is current," the co-creator said of the new season. "With all of the stuff that's going on just south of Berlin in the Middle East and to the east in Russia and Ukraine, it's fascinating.”
He also opened up about the possibilities for Carrie when she isolates herself from the CIA and how she intends to bring and use her skills in a new workplace.
“Carrie is out of the intelligence business when the season starts and she finds herself in Berlin. It's a center for dissidence,” Gansa explained. “That's where hacktivists go because German privacy laws are so strict. It's hard to have surveillance on people there."
Currently filming at the famous Babelsberg Studio, recognized as the home base of Nazi propaganda leader Joseph Goebbels during the World War II, Gansa discussed the new location that provides a fresh backdrop for production.
When asked about plot details and whether there is a possibility for ‘Homeland’ to move back to the U.S., the executive producer stated that there will be a good chance to do so if the series is to be renewed for several more season.
"Claire and Hugh [Dancy] have a baby, Cyrus, and there's going to come a point in the next year or two when she's going to want to be home," says Gansa. "Cyrus is going to have to go to kindergarten. Fingers crossed, if the series goes that long, we're definitely going to be back in the United States eventually."
A teaser trailer for 'Homeland' season five can be viewed below.
