2011: Showtime Debuts 'Homeland'
One year ago today, Showtime introduced its award-winning drama, Homeland.
Developed by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa — and based on the Israeli series, Hatufim (Prisoners of War) — Homeland stars Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison, a CIA officer who is alone in her suspicion that former Al-Qaeda POW Nicholas Brody (played by Damian Lewis) was turned by the enemy during his imprisonment and is now a threat to the U.S. Mandy Patinkin (Holla!) portrays Saul Berenson, Carrie's boss and mentor.
The pilot's Oct. 2 premiere was among Showtime's highest-rated premieres, and the show's Season 1 finale was the most-watched first-season finale in the channel's history.
At the recent 64th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, Homeland was a surprise winner, walking away with awards in multiple major categories, including Outstanding Lead Actress for a Drama Series for Danes, Outstanding Lead Actor for Lewis and Best Writing for a Drama Series. It also won the coveted Best Drama award, beating out AMC's celebrated shows Breaking Bad and Mad Men (which had captured the statuette for the previous four years).
On Sept. 30, 2012, a week after the award show, Homeland debuted its second season. The show's Emmy accolades were credited with delivering the show's highest-ever viewership: 1.73 million viewers.