Showtime Renews 'Homeland' for Second Season

Ronen Akerman/Showtime

"Homeland"

Showtime has renewed freshman drama Homeland for a 12-episode second season.

The series, from 24's Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa and based on the Israeli series Hatufim (Prisoners of War) from Keshet Broadcasting, has been a steady performer for the premium cable network.

“Homeland is just getting started,” said David Nevins, president of entertainment at Showtime. “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. I’m quite confident that its passionate audience will be riveted as the season unfolds and people discover where this story is going.”

The political drama starring Claire Danes, Damian Lewis and Mandy Patinkin became Showtime's highest-rated drama premiere in eight years, drawing 1.08 million viewers at 10 p.m. in its Oct. 2 bow.

STORY: 'Homeland' TV Review

The drama held most of its premiere viewership in Week 2 and, when factoring in total viewers across encore airings, Sunday's episode drew 1.33 million viewers, topping the series opener. Sunday's episode built on its second week viewership 15 percent, drawing 1.07 million viewers, nearly matching its series premiere.

The series now ranks as Showtime's No. 1 freshman drama, with 5.5 million viewers having viewed the premiere.