Picture: Showtime
If you open up Netflix today, the chances are you’re greeted by Homeland, the multi-award-winning Showtime series that was on the air from 2011 through 2020, which has made a surprise touchdown on Netflix in most regions around the globe.
Adapted from the Israeli series Prisoners of War, the long-running political thriller led by Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison, a gifted but volatile CIA officer, and Damian Lewis as Marine sergeant Nicholas Brody, whose return from captivity sparks global suspicion. They’re joined by an impressive ensemble, including Mandy Patinkin, Morena Baccarin, Rupert Friend, and F. Murray Abraham.
Netflix has today picked up the rights to all eight seasons in the majority of regions around the world, including Europe (including the return to Netflix UK), the United States, Australia, and Canada.
Although airing on Showtime, the series itself has its underlying rights owned by 20th Television (ie, Disney), making this addition even more of a surprise. While we have seen Disney license a bunch of shows to Netflix over the past few years in the United States, many of those have now begun to depart.
While this is the show’s debut in most regions today, the series was licensed exclusively to Netflix in the United Kingdom throughout much of its run, though it didn’t carry the Netflix Original branding. It first landed in the UK in 2014 and streamed new seasons on Showtime shortly after their conclusion. The show left Netflix in February 2024, but, as mentioned, the UK is among the countries that got it back today.
How long will Homeland remain on Netflix? Much like other Disney-licensed pickups in recent years, it’ll stay on the streamer for 18 months, with a scheduled removal on May 20th, 2027.
The addition comes at an opportune time for the streamer, given that it’s just released a brand-new series starring Claire Danes titled The Beast in Me. That limited series sees Danes star alongside Matthew Rhys and has been lighting up Netflix’s top 10s globally since its debut. In its first four days of release, it has scored 6.9M views and has garnered a slate of positive reviews from critics and audiences alike.
Are you planning to do a big Homeland binge on Netflix? Let us know in the comments down below.
