Nellie Andreeva

After 4 solid showings, Showtime has picked up conspiracy thriller drama Homeland for a second season. Production on Season 2 will begin in the spring. The project, from 24 alums Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, was the first major piece of development Showtime’s entertainment president David Nevins brought to the network. It sailed through the pilot stage and earlier this month launched as Showtime’s highest-rated new series (helped by a big Dexter lead-in.) In its first week, the drama starring Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, Mandy Patinkin and Morena Baccarin, was seen by 4.4 million viewers across various platforms. What’s more, the series has increased its overall viewership since the premiere, with its most recent episode on Sunday hitting a series high. “Homeland is just getting started,” said Nevins. “Clearly, the overall audience growth from week one to week four demonstrates that this show is hitting a nerve in the cultural zeitgeist. Alex and Howard have created a psychological thriller that holds special relevance in the post 9/11 world.” Based on Gideon Raff’s Israeli series Prisoners Of War, from Keshet Broadcasting, the Fox 21-produced Homeland tells the story of Carrie Mathison (Danes), a CIA officer battling her own demons, who becomes convinced that the intelligence that led to the rescue of Nicholas Brody (Lewis), a U.S. soldier who had been missing and presumed dead for eight years, was a setup and may be connected to an Al Qaeda plot to be carried out on American soil. Along with Gordon, Gansa and Raff, the executive producers for season one are Avi Nir, Ran Telem and  Michael Cuesta.

TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.