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Tag: Showtime (1-3 of 3)

Nov 27 2012 09:30 AM ET

Why Nicholas Brody needs to die on 'Homeland'

by Adam B. Vary

Tags: Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, Homeland, Showtime, TV

Image Credit: Kent Smith

SPOILER ALERT! SERIOUSLY, DO NOT READ ON IF YOU’RE NOT CAUGHT UP WITH HOMELAND!

Sunday night’s episode of Homeland ended with one of its trademark omigod nail-biter twists, after CIA operative Peter Quinn (Rupert Friend) nearly bumped off series lead Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) in the back of a limo. We’d been told Quinn was a mere mild-mannered analyst, but as the wily Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin) discovered, Quinn is actually some kind of deep-cover black-ops agent with a spartan apartment, a sniper rifle cleaning kit, and a secret kid with a Philadelphia cop. He’d been brought into Operation Brody not only to keep an eye on our favorite former-POW-turned-sleeper-terrorist-turned-double-agent, but ultimately to kill Brody once he’d outlived his usefulness.

I, for one, really hope Quinn completes his mission. READ FULL STORY »

Sep 24 2012 11:20 AM ET

Showtime enters the big leagues: Which cable network could you not live without? -- VOTE

by Hillary Busis

Tags: AMC, Emmy Awards, HBO, Homeland, Polls, Showtime, Television, TV

Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

As of last night, AMC can no longer claim to be the only cable network as essential as HBO. By snagging the Emmy for Best Drama Series, Homeland officially dethroned four-time winner Mad Men — and ushered in what may be a new era for Showtime, a channel that’s never been quite as prestigious as its brethren. Homeland executive producer Alex Gansa noted as much at the beginning of his acceptance speech: “I want to start by congratulating Showtime on its first best series Emmy ever. It’s been a long time coming, and Homeland stands on the shoulders of a lot of great shows over there: Dexter, Weeds, Nurse Jackie, among them all. So I want to congratulate… the entire Showtime family: This is your night as well as ours.”

But Homeland‘s win doesn’t just mean great things for Showtime. It indicates that other cable networks may also have a shot at the prestige that’s been hogged by HBO and AMC over the past five years — so long as they continue to make quality programming. Could the grizzled antiheroes of FX be the next cablers to break through? What about the fun, glossy series on USA? And are TBS and TNT bound to ditch reruns for more original series?

Obviously, there’s no way to know yet. So in the meantime, let’s concentrate on answering this question: Which of these cable networks is most essential to you — and which would you pick if forced to choose between them?

READ FULL STORY »

Jun 15 2012 09:00 AM ET

'Homeland' poll: What was your favorite twist from season 1?

by Darren Franich

Tags: Cable, Claire Danes, Damien Lewis, Homeland, Showtime, TV

Image Credit: Patrick Ecclesine/Showtime

Here at EW, we’re big fans of Homeland, the Showtime thriller starring Claire Danes as a bipolar CIA agent and Damien Lewis as a returning POW who might be a terrorist double agent. Our TV critic Ken Tucker put the show in his top five of 2011, and we’ve still barely recovered from the senses-shattering finale. If you didn’t catch the show last fall, then this weekend might be a good time to dive in: As part of a “Best in Show” outreach program, Showtime will be available free to DirecTV and Time Warner Cable subscribers in New York and LA, complete with marathons of all Showtime series (including Homeland.)

In the meantime, for Homeland fans, we thought it would be fun to ponder a deeper question: Looking back over the ever-curving plot of the first season, which plot twist was the biggest, the most unexpected, the outright twistiest? Vote in our poll below. And remember: Trust no one except for the person who supplies you with anti-psychotic medication. READ FULL STORY »