Homeland boss Alex Gansa explains why the final season was heavily delayed
After nearly two years away from our screens, Homeland finally returns for its eighth and final season on Sunday (February 9) in the US.
The wait has been a long and hard one for fans of the drama but, according to the show's executive producer Alex Gansa, there were many factors that led to that long delay.
Related: Here's why Homeland season 8 is taking so long
Speaking to TV Line, Gansa said: "Shooting in Morocco took way longer than we thought, and we weren't able to accomplish all that we wanted to in Morocco, so we had to come back to the United States.
"That required setting up another production team here, and that delayed us some more months. It's literally the season that will never end."
Production was also delayed due to star Claire Danes' pregnancy. The Carrie Mathison actress and her husband Hugh Dancy welcomed their second son, Rowan, in August 2018.
Related: Hannibal's Hugh Dancy joins wife Claire Danes in Homeland's final season
And while fans will no doubt be sad to see Carrie Mathison's story come to a close, Gansa also stated that the decision to end Homeland with series eight was made a long time ago.
"The decision to end it after the eighth season happened after the fifth season," Gansa said, adding that it "involved conversations with everybody", including stars Danes and Mandy Patinkin.
"The show was incredibly profitable for everybody. But we also didn’t want it to outstay its welcome."
And don't expect it to make a surprise comeback anytime soon either, as Gansa continued to add that he sees this season as the end of the story.
"I certainly view it as closing the book," he added, "and really resolving this protégé-mentor relationship, and saying something definitive about America's counterterrorism activities over the last twenty years, since 9/11."
Homeland's final season premieres February 9 on Showtime in the US. It airs on Channel 4 in the UK.
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