The future of Showtime’s award-winning spy drama Homeland appears to be set, as series star Claire Danes confirms that the series is headed toward an end with the upcoming eighth season. That news isn’t too new for anyone who’s been following the show since its premiere back in 2011, every subsequent renewal for the series has led to questions of when Carrie Mathison’s story would come to an end. That end seemed to be on the horizon when Showtime renewed the series for a seventh and eighth season ahead of its sixth. At the time, series showrunner Alex Gansa laid the groundwork for that to also be the show’s conclusion.
That was a while ago, however, and, if nothing else, Showtime is loyal to its programming — i.e., reluctant to let a tried-and-true series come to an end — so there were questions as to whether or not Homeland was indeed set to end its story, and that of Carrie Mathison and Saul Berenson, with season 8. And while the network has yet to offer an official statement on the news, Danes seems to think it is the end.
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Danes mentioned as much during an interview on Howard Stern, in which the discussion eventually turned to her long-running series. Stern said “We’ve got one more season after this, then we’re wrapping it up.” Danes then replied, “Yeah, that’s it.” Stern continued by asking Danes how she felt about bringing the show to an end, and she said she was feeling “really conflicted” before adding. “I’ll be ready. She’s a lot, this Carrie freakin’ Mathison. I’ll be ready for a reprieve from that.”
Danes mentioned Homeland is the longest she’s ever been involved with a single project, which certainly has a lot to do with her feeling conflicted and ready to move on. But as with most stars of successful television series, seeing it come to an end is likely bittersweet. Again, that end has been called into question as there has reportedly been talks of restarting the series with a new cast and a new showrunner, as Gansa would likely step down following season 8 as well. So far there hasn’t been any new developments on that front, though it might be an attractive position for Showtime, inasmuch as the network could attempt to capitalize on the show’s name recognition while freeing itself of the baggage that’s been accumulated over the past seven years.
But when the show’s star says she’s done it certainly seems as though the series will be soon to follow. Homeland has enjoyed a respectable run for a series that many felt would have been a legendary one-and-done miniseries. If season 8 really is the end, then at least it will get to go out on its own terms.
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Homeland season 7 ends on Sunday, April 29 @9pm on Showtime.
