Showtime Puts 'Homeland' Pilot Online Ahead of October Premiere

Showtime is following the CW and Fox's lead and putting up the full Homeland pilot online ahead of its October premiere.

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Though the Claire Danes-Damian Lewis drama does not debut on the premium cable network until Oct. 2, viewers can watch the entire episode on its official website in an effort for non-subscribers to sample the show.

Homeland, developed by 24's Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa and Gideon Raff for U.S. television, revolves around an American soldier taken prisoner during the Iraq invasion in 2003. He miraculously returns to the U.S. after years in captivity. A CIA officer, played by Danes, is convinced the intelligence leading up to the soldier's recapture was a complete set-up and that he may have connections to an Al Qaeda plot.

The CW made its Hart of Dixie and The Secret Circle pilots available on iTunes for free ahead of their premieres. Fox announced a similar marketing strategy for his half-hour Zooey Deschanel comedy, New Girl, by putting up the pilot on iTunes, Hulu and Fox.com.

Email: philiana.ng@thr.com