“Homeland” comes to us from Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa and Chip Johansson, all longtime writer-producers on “24.” It stars Claire Danes (“Terminator 3,” “Temple Grandin”), Morena Baccarin (“Firefly,” “V”), Damian Lewis (“Band of Brothers,” “Life”) and the great Mandy Patinkin (“Chicago Hope,” “Dead Like Me,” “Criminal Minds”).
It’s about a hot CIA analyst who risks everything trying to prove that an American POW who spent eight years in captivity in Iraq is The Manchurian Candidate.
It’s better than any other hourlong pilot I’ve seen so far this season. Baccarin gets naked. She looks very good naked.
... the best new show of the fall season. ... functions terrifically as both a thriller and a commentary on our post-post-9/11 world …
... manages to be both an addictive espionage thriller and a compelling character study, as well as a well-constructed exploration of the difficulties and ambiguities of fighting terrorism a decade after Sept. 11. Without a doubt, it is one of the finest new shows of the year. ...
... pretty easily my favorite new series of the fall ...
... fall's most riveting new drama ... Shows like Homeland have a way of keeping us deliciously off balance. Can't think of a place I'd rather be or a show I'd more highly recommend.
... stands out as the season's best new drama. ...
... gripping ... “Homeland” is almost impossible to resist.
... not just the best new drama of the season (and would be, no doubt, even if the bar had been set higher than it has been this year), it's the first telling of a post-9/11 story that is all the things it should be: politically resonant, emotionally wrenching and plain old thrilling to watch. ...
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
.... offers the same "24" sense of urgency without a ticking-clock gimmick. If "24" was about the short game, "Homeland" is about the long con. It's an engrossing serialized drama with one of the best casts on TV. …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
... spellbinding ... Eventually, Brody will begin looking over his shoulder. We can't wait to see what he'll find.
... arrives with a taut air of near-perfection. ... What makes “Homeland” rise above other post-9/11 dramas is Danes’s stellar performance as Carrie — easily this season’s strongest female character, who is also hiding some personal secrets of her own. The latter half of the first episode is exhilarating. I’m hooked.
... riveting ... Patinkin is the perfect low-key foil to Danes’ manic energy. What seems like a straightforward question — Is Nick a traitor to his country? — might be the most devilishly complicated thing to answer, and definitely worth pursuing in this complex show.
… Am I hooked? Big time. Of all the drama pilots I watched, this was my favorite. …
... does some of its best work via flashbacks to Brody's time in captivity, sprinkling additional tidbits with each glimpse into the past. …
10 p.m. Sunday. Showtime.
