As expected, Homeland will end with its upcoming eighth season. Star Claire Danes has confirmed the news in an interview with Howard Stern on his Sirius XM show. “Yeah, that’s it,” she said when the host brought up the fact that the next season is rumored to be the CIA drama’s last. A representative for Showtime said that the network has not made a decision beyond season eight. The drama is currently airing its seventh season, the finale for which is set to air on April 29.
Showtime renewed Homeland for a seventh and eighth season ahead of its sixth season premiere. Sources say that the network has been reluctant to say that Homeland will end after that because there’s been talk with keeping the show going with a new showrunner and new cast. In February, showrunner Alex Gansa told The Hollywood Reporter that season eight would likely be his last year. Though he’s long hinted that season eight would be the end of Carrie Mathison’s story, he noted he wasn’t sure that’d be the case for the others on the show.
“It’s definitely going to be my last year,” said the executive producer and writer ahead of the seventh season debut. “I can’t speak for Claire or Mandy, but it will be my final year and it will be designed to be the end of an eight-season story. If Showtime, Fox, Claire and Mandy want to take the show further that’s their decision, and we would leave some room for that to happen — if there’s an appetite.”
When Stern asked Danes how she’s dealing with this being the last season, the actress acknowledged that she feels “really conflicted” about it. “I mean, I’ll be ready. She’s a lot, this Carrie-freakin’ Mathison character,” she explained. “It’s a workout, so I’ll be ready for a reprieve from that. During the interview, Danes also revealed that she’s pregnant with her second child with husband Hugh Dancy.
Showtime’s current roster includes Shameless, The Affair, Billions, Ray Donovan, I’m Dying Up Here, SMILF and The Chi. Earlier this week, the CBS Corp.-owned company ordered comedy pilot The Wrong Mans, from James Corden and Bad Robot. It followed pilot orders for Don Cheadle comedy Ball Street and Kevin Bacon drama City on a Hill from Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Next up, Showtime has Jim Carrey starrer Kidding, Patrick Melrose, Escape at Dannemora and the long-in-the-works Daniel Craig drama Purity.
