The fifth season of the American television drama series ''

Homeland A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethni ...

'' premiered on October 4, 2015, and concluded on December 20, 2015, on

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

, consisting of 12 episodes. The series started as a loosely based variation of the two-season run of the

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i television series '' Hatufim'' (English: ''Prisoners of War'') created by

Gideon Raff Gideon "Gidi" Raff ( he, גדעון „גידי" רף; born 10 September 1972) is an Israeli film and television director, screenwriter, and writer. He is best known for his creation of the Channel 2 thriller drama series '' Prisoners of War'', ...

and is developed for American television by

Howard Gordon Howard Gordon (born March 31, 1961) is an American television writer and producer. He is well known for his work on the Fox action series '' 24'' alongside the Showtime thriller ''Homeland'', which he co-developed with Alex Gansa and Gideon ...

and

Alex Gansa Alex Gansa is a screenwriter and producer best known as the creator, executive producer and showrunner of the Showtime series ''Homeland'', based on the original Israeli series ''Prisoners of War'' created by Gideon Raff. He produced and wrote a ...

. The fifth season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on January 10, 2017. Set two years after the previous season, Season 5 finds Carrie no longer working for the CIA but for a philanthropic foundation in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, the Düring Foundation, but co-operating with her former colleagues to stop a terror attack on Berlin as well as locate a CIA mole. The season includes several real world subjects in its storylines, including

ISIS Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

Bashar al-Assad Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the ...

, the

Charlie Hebdo shooting On 7 January 2015, at about 11:30 a.m. CET local time, two French Muslim terrorists and brothers, Saïd and Chérif Kouachi, forced their way into the offices of the French satirical weekly newspaper '' Charlie Hebdo'' in Paris. Armed with ...

Edward Snowden Edward Joseph Snowden (born June 21, 1983) is an American and naturalized Russian former computer intelligence consultant who leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013, when he was an employee and su ...

and the

European migrant crisis The 2015 European migrant crisis, also known internationally as the Syrian refugee crisis, was a period of significantly increased movement of refugees and migrants into Europe in 2015, when 1.3 million people came to the continent to reques ...

Cast and characters

Main

Claire Danes Claire Catherine Danes (born April 12, 1979) is an American actress. She is the recipient of three Primetime Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2012, ''Time'' named her one of the 100 most influentia ...

Carrie Mathison Carrie Anne Mathison, played by actress Claire Danes, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American television drama/thriller series ''Homeland'' on Showtime, created by Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon. Carrie is a CIA officer who, wh ...

, an ex-CIA intelligence officer with

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...

, now working for a

philanthropic Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

foundation in Berlin *

Rupert Friend Rupert William Anthony Friend (born 9 October 1981) is an English actor. He first gained recognition for his roles in '' The Libertine'' (2004) and '' Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont'' (2005), both of which won him awards for best newcomer. He port ...

as Peter Quinn, a CIA SAD/SOG (

black ops A black operation or black op is a covert or clandestine operation by a government agency, a military unit or a paramilitary organization; it can include activities by private companies or groups. Key features of a black operation are that it i ...

) operative *

Sebastian Koch Sebastian Koch (born 31 May 1962) is a German television and film actor. He is known for roles in the 2007 Academy Award-winning film ''The Lives of Others'', in Steven Spielberg's '' Bridge of Spies'', and as Otto Düring in the fifth season of ...

as Otto Düring, a German philanthropist and Carrie's boss *

Miranda Otto Miranda Otto (born 16 December 1967) is an Australian actress. She is the daughter of actors Barry and Lindsay Otto and the paternal half-sister of actress Gracie Otto. Otto began her acting career in 1986 at age 18 and appeared in a variety of ...

as Allison Carr, the current Berlin CIA Chief of Station, working directly under Saul *

Alexander Fehling Alexander Fehling (born 29 March 1981) is a German film and stage actor. He is best known for portraying Staff Sgt. Wilhelm in the 2009 Quentin Tarantino World War II film ''Inglourious Basterds'' and Jonas Hollander in the Showtime original ser ...

as Jonas Hollander, legal counsel for the Düring Foundation and Carrie's boyfriend *

Sarah Sokolovic Sarah Sokolovic (born 1980) is an American film, television, and theatre actress, who starred in ''Homeland'' as Laura Sutton and has a recurring role on '' Big Little Lies''. She has performed in several plays including ''The Shaggs: Philoso ...

as Laura Sutton, an American journalist in Berlin who works for the Düring Foundation *

F. Murray Abraham F. Murray Abraham (born Murray Abraham; October 24, 1939) is an American actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he came to prominence for his acclaimed leading role as Antonio Salieri in the drama film '' Amadeus'' (1984) for which he wo ...

Dar Adal This is a list of characters appearing in the Showtime drama television series ''Homeland''. Appearances : = Main cast (credited) : = Recurring cast (3+) : = Guest cast (1-2) Main cast Recurring cast ;Notes Main characters The foll ...

, a retired black ops specialist, currently head of the CIA *

Mandy Patinkin Mandel Bruce Patinkin (; born November 30, 1952) is an American actor and singer, known for his work in musical theatre, television and film. He is a critically acclaimed Broadway performer, having received three Tony Award nominations, winning ...

Saul Berenson This is a list of characters appearing in the Showtime drama television series ''Homeland''. Appearances : = Main cast (credited) : = Recurring cast (3+) : = Guest cast (1-2) Main cast Recurring cast ;Notes Main characters The foll ...

, the head of the CIA's European operations and Carrie's mentor

Recurring

Nina Hoss Nina Hoss (; born 7 July 1975) is a German stage and film actress. Early life Hoss was born in Stuttgart, West Germany. Her father, , was a German trade unionist and politician (member of the Bundestag with The Greens). Her mother, , was an act ...

as Astrid, Quinn's former lover who works for the German intelligence service, BND * as Numan (alias "gabehcuod"), a computer hacker who downloads classified CIA files * as Armand Korzenik, a friend of Numan's *

Micah Hauptman Micah A. Hauptman (born December 26, 1973) is an American film and television actor, known for playing the lead role of David Gallo in the film ''In Stereo (film), In Stereo'', August Hardwicke in the film ''Parker (2013 film), Parker'', and real ...

as Mills, a CIA tech working in the Berlin Station *

Allan Corduner Allan Corduner (; born 2 April 1950) is a British actor. Born in Stockholm to a German mother and a Russo-Finnish father, Corduner grew up in a secular Jewish home in London. After earning a BA (Hons) in English and Drama at Bristol Universit ...

as Etai Luskin, Israeli ambassador to Germany *

Mark Ivanir Mark Alexandrovich Ivanir ( he, מארק איווניר; uk, Марк Олександрович Іванір; russian: Марк Александрович Иванир) is a Ukrainian-born Israeli actor known for his character roles on Americ ...

as Ivan Krupin, a Russian intelligence agent * Alireza Bayram as Qasim, member of a jihadist group in Berlin * René Ifrah as Bibi Hamed, leader of a group of jihadists in Berlin *

Morocco Omari Morocco Omari (born May 7, 1975) is an American film, television, and theater actor, screenwriter, producer, and a director. He was born in Chicago, Illinois. He is best known for his role as Tariq in the Hip-Hop television drama series ''Empire ...

as Conrad Fuller, a CIA agent working at the Berlin Station

Guest

John Getz John William Getz (born October 15, 1946) is an American character actor. After starting his acting career on stage, he has appeared in numerous television series and films. Personal life Getz, one of four children, was born in Davenport, Iowa, ...

as Joe Crocker, a CIA officer working in Langley * Luna and Lotta Pfitzer as Frances "Franny" Mathison, Carrie's daughter *

Alex Lanipekun Alex Lanipekun (born 7 April 1981) is a British actor. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art but left early to join the cast of the BBC drama '' Spooks'' as journalist-cum-spy Ben Kaplan, the role for which he is best known. Earl ...

as Hank Wonham, a CIA officer *

Max Beesley Maxton Gig Beesley Jr. (born 16 April 1971) is an English actor and musician. He has appeared in a variety of television shows such as ''Bodies'', ''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', '' Survivors'', '' Mad Dogs'', ''Homeland'', '' Suits ...

as Mike Brown *

Mousa Kraish Mousa Hussein Kraish ( ; ar, موسى حسين قريش; born November 21) is an American actor and director, who has appeared in several Hollywood films including Steven Spielberg's 2005 film ''Munich (2005 film), Munich''. He is best known for ...

as Behruz, an associate of Al Amin *

Suraj Sharma Suraj Sharma (born 21 March 1993) is an Indian actor who made his debut in the 2012 film ''Life of Pi''. Directed by Ang Lee, the film was adapted from the novel of the same name, and earned Sharma critical acclaim as well as a BAFTA Rising St ...

as Aayan Ibrahim, who appears to Carrie in a hallucination *

William R. Moses William Remington Moses (born November 17, 1959) is an American actor. Early life Moses was born in Los Angeles, the son of actress Marian McCargo (1932–2004) and advertising executive Richard Cantrell Moses Sr., who married in 1951 and divor ...

as Scott * as Boris, Russian ambassador to Germany *

Yigal Naor Igal Naor ( he, יגאל נאור; born ) is an Israeli actor, sometimes credited as Yigal Naor. Naor was born in Givatayim, Israel, to Mizrahi Jewish parents from Iraq. He has appeared in the American films ''Munich'', ''Green Zone'' and '' R ...

as General Youssef * Janina Blohm Sievers as Sabine, a computer hacker * Reymond Amsalem as Mrs. Luskin *

Darina Al Joundi Darina Al Joundi is a Lebanese-born stage actor. She became a French citizen after Prime Minister Manuel Valls read a review of her performance at the 2012 Avignon Festival and decided to speed up her application. She has promoted women's rights f ...

as Mrs. Youssef *

Emily Cox Emily Cox may refer to: * Emily Cox (actress) (born 1985), Austrian actress * Emily Cox (puzzle writer), American puzzle writer * Emily Cox (conductor), Australian conductor and choir master {{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Emily ...

as Claudia, friend of Sabine * as Hajik Zayd, leader of a jihadist group * as Esam, Carrie's former informant *

Makram Khoury Makram Jamil Khoury (Arabic:, مكرم يعقوب خوري}, he, מכרם חורי) is an Arab-Israeli actor, born 30 May 1945 in Jerusalem. He was the youngest artist and the first Arab to win the Israel Prize, the highest civic honor in Israe ...

as Samir Khalil, an Iraqi national who helps Carrie *

Darwin Shaw Darwin Shaw is a British stage, film and television actor, and director. Formerly practicing as a medical doctor, he retrained as an actor at LAMDA in 2004 after studying theatre in New York City. Early life Shaw, the eldest of two boys, w ...

as Ahmed Nazari, a corrupt Iraqi lawyer *

Oshri Cohen Oshri Cohen ( he, אושרי כהן; born 11 January 1984) is an Israeli actor. Career In addition to television roles, Cohen has performed in films such as '' Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi'' and ''Campfire''. In 2007 Cohen starred in the Israeli w ...

as Igal *

Assaad Bouab Assaad Bouab ( ar, أسعد بواب, born July 31, 1980) is a French-Moroccan actor whose first co-starring role was in ''Whatever Lola Wants'', directed by Nabil Ayouch and co-starring Laura Ramsey as Lola. The film premiered on 11 December 200 ...

as Waleed *

Rainer Bock Rainer may refer to: People * Rainer (surname) * Rainer (given name) Other * Rainer Island, an island in Franz Josef Land, Russia * 16802 Rainer, an asteroid * Rainer Foundation, British charitable organisation See also * Rainier (disambiguation ...

as BND Officer Keller * Hadar Ratzon Rotem as Tova Rivlin * Rachid Sabitri as Dr. Aman Aziz, a professor who helps Bibi * Rus Blackwell as Dr. Emory, a surgical doctor * as Erna Richter, working for the

German Foreign Office , logo = DEgov-AA-Logo en.svg , logo_width = 260 px , image = Auswaertiges Amt Berlin Eingang.jpg , picture_width = 300px , image_caption = Entrance to the Foreign Office building , headquarters = Werderscher Mark ...

Episodes

Production

The series was renewed for a 12-episode fifth season on November 10, 2014. In April 2015, it was confirmed the entire season would be filmed in

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, at

Studio Babelsberg Babelsberg Film Studio (german: Filmstudio Babelsberg), located in Potsdam-Babelsberg outside Berlin, Germany, is the second oldest large-scale film studio in the world only preceded by the Danish Nordisk Film (est. 1906), producing films since ...

(with the exception of on-location shooting), making it the first American TV series to film an entire season there. In June 2015, four new series regular roles were announced, including

and

. Production began in Berlin on June 2, 2015. Executive producers for the fifth season are

, Alexander Cary,

Chip Johannessen George Frederick "Chip" Johannessen (born November 16, 1955) is an American writer, editor, and producer of several popular television series. He is credited with work on ''24 (TV series), 24'', ''Homeland (TV series), Homeland'', ''Dexter (TV ser ...

Meredith Stiehm Meredith Stiehm (born 1968) is an American television producer and writer. She is the creator of the hit crime drama '' Cold Case'' and the FX thriller drama '' The Bridge''. She is President of the Writers Guild of America. Early life and ed ...

, Patrick Harbinson,

Lesli Linka Glatter Lesli Linka Glatter (born July 26, 1953) is an American film and television director. She is best known for her work on the AMC drama series ''Mad Men'' and the Showtime series ''Homeland'', for which she's received eight Primetime Emmy Award nomi ...

Avi Nir Avi Nir ( he, אבי ניר; born 1961) is an Israeli television executive, academic, entrepreneur, writer and producer. He is the CEO of the Israeli media group Keshet Broadcasting serving as a leading content and programming director. He is k ...

, and Ran Telem.

Reception

Critical reception

The fifth season received positive reviews from critics. On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, it has a score of 76 out of 100 based on 17 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the season received an 88% rating based on 27 reviews with an average rating of 7.99/10. The critical consensus reads "''Homeland'' re-energizes itself in season five by setting up a twisty Berlin-set spy thriller that spotlights Carrie's questionable ethics more than ever." Verne Gay of ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...

'' gave it an "A" grade and wrote that it's "Smart, taut, engaging and propulsive. The fifth looks terrific." Ben Travers of

Indiewire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Hollyw ...

gave it an "A−" grade and wrote that "If last season was the redux, then Season 5 is peak ''Homeland''."

Accolades

For the

22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards The 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, honoring the best achievements in film and television performances for the year 2015, were presented on January 30, 2016 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was broadcast o ...

, the cast was nominated for Best Drama Ensemble,

was nominated for Best Drama Actress, and the series was nominated for Best Stunt Team. For the

42nd People's Choice Awards The 42nd People's Choice Awards, honoring the best in popular culture for 2015, were held January 6, 2016, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, and were broadcast live on CBS. The ceremony was hosted by Jane Lynch. Nominations were ...

, ''Homeland'' won for Favorite Premium Cable Show. The

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

named it on their list of the best television programs of 2015. For the

68th Directors Guild of America Awards The 68th Directors Guild of America Awards, honoring the outstanding directorial achievements in films, documentary and television in 2015, were presented on February 6, 2016 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza. The ceremony was hosted by Jane L ...

was nominated for Outstanding Directing – Drama Series for "

The Tradition of Hospitality "The Tradition of Hospitality" is the second episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series ''Homeland'', and the 50th episode overall. It premiered on Showtime on October 11, 2015. ''The Atlantic'' named it one of the best t ...

". For the

20th Satellite Awards The 20th Satellite Awards is an award ceremony honoring the year's outstanding performers, films, television shows, home videos and interactive media, presented by the International Press Academy. The nominations were announced on December 1, 2 ...

, Claire Danes won for Best Actress in a Drama Series. For the

68th Primetime Emmy Awards The 68th Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in U.S. prime time television programming from June 1, 2015 until May 31, 2016, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The ceremony was held on Sunday, September 18, 2016 at the Mi ...

, the series received four nominations: Outstanding Drama Series, Claire Danes for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Lesli Linka Glatter for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for "The Tradition of Hospitality", and David Klein for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series for "The Tradition of Hospitality".

References

External links

* * {{Homeland episodes 2015 American television seasons 5