Home and dry?
This time last year (November 10, 2014 to be exact), US premium pay TV network Showtime greenlit a fifth season of Homeland, the political thriller adapted from Israeli series Hatufim (Prisoners of War). That season is currently five episodes into a planned run of 12. So the big question this week is whether Showtime will commission a sixth season – or if it will decide instead to call an end to the show. Homeland, which stars Claire Danes, has been a big hit for the channel, in terms of both audience ratings and critical acclaim. But there are signs it is starting to flag. After reaching audiences of around two million during seasons two and three, the beginnings of a decline were evident in season four, which averaged around 1.6 million over the course of the season. For the current season, the average is 1.4 million – with one episode dropping as low as 1.1 million. Something similar is happening in the UK, where the show is currently airing on Channel 4. Here, the first three episodes of the new season have recorded ratings of 2.2 million, 1.6 million and 900,000 respectively (according to BARB figures). Nevertheless, it would be a brave call to close down the show at this stage. Despite the slide in ratings, season five has been getting good reviews from critics. And the ratings, while low by Homeland’s standards, are still pretty good compared with other Showtime dramas. Only Shameless does better than Homeland, while titles … Continue reading Home and dry?
