Who did Nicholas Brody ever hurt? Actually, scratch that, but aside from his murderous vengeful plans, is there a definitive reason he should die? The makers of hot topic thriller Homeland think there might be, as the network boss of entertainment David Nevins admits the ending of Brody is on the table in a press event last Tuesday.
This decision to consider Brody's death is not based on moral judgement but in order to keep the audiences guessing. Speaking at the conference, the boss of Showtime network stated, 'I want our producers to take risks [...] One thing about the new form of television is that it's not about resetting everything back to the beginning at the end of every episode. You more forward in the story. You move forward in time. You take risks, and sometimes, you get beat up for them. But I've said it before- the enemy of good television is boredom and predictability.'
Hang on though, there's more. Not only are the creators considering killing off one (if not the) of the leads, but wouldn't rule out killing another one if it kept the show dynamic and made sense for the plot. Their decisions reflect, as the entertainment boss phrased it, how viewership patterns have changed.
This wouldn't be the first time Nevins has wiped clear the regular cast of one of his series, as a show he previously produced Friday Night Lights illustrates.He explained,'I've never been scared of change. Friday Night Lights flipped over the entire cast between seasons. Can you ever love the show without the characters you loved initially? You do start to fall in love with other characters and new great actors get turned out. I think same thing is true of Homeland.' Watch out Damian Lewis and Claire Danes, your jobs are well and truly in the line of fire. Which cast member do you think creators will decide is expendable?
