'Homeland's Coming To New York City

It's with a heavy heart I have to admit that last season of Homeland sort of lost me a bit. I've loved the show since the the very beginning of Season 1 and have stayed with it through its ups and various downs, but for some reason, the series' recent sojourn to Germany and beyond really dulled my interest. It's not that they weren't trying to tackle important and very real issues, but it's that I'd grown exhausted of the same old, same old. Sure, the threats were technically different, but the "unstable Carrie on the run from big bad guys" thing is wearing a little thin at this point. I miss the excitement and the tension of earlier seasons, and I'm hopeful that might be coming back since Homeland Season 6 will take place in New York City. Pretty good, right?

During the Television Critics Association winter press tour earlier this week, Showtime CEO David Nevins revealed that the next season of Homeland will be shot "in and around New York City," for a storyline that is "set domestically." No further information was offered — that should be enough to keep us watching, and that's what really matters, I suppose — but frankly, the show's return to American soil is music to my ears.

Homeland has always been ambitious when it comes to portraying topical stories involving international politics and relations, but the jury's out on how successful — not to mention how truthful and accurate — those storylines have been. It's been fascinating to see issues like terrorism, hacking, and government conspiracy explored, but this is a TV show we're talking about here, and as realistic and even-handed as we might like to think the series is, there are always going to be some things left out.

This is why the move back to America is a smart one if Homeland wants to continue with any amount of success (and a decent size audience). America is what we know and something we're actually qualified to comment on. It's one of the reasons the original Brody storyline was so interesting: here was an American man who'd been imprisoned overseas and indoctrinated in unnatural ways. What did that mean for his identity and for the fate of the American people? It was a character study story as much as it was a philosophical one on the nature and effects of war and how it tears lives apart. We've never really recaptured the same magic since, I don't think.

It's unclear what domestic storyline Homeland will break next, but the first step is coming home. What we do once we're there is anyone's guess, but I'm actually looking forward to seeing what that is.

Images: Showtime