By Katrina DiCastro

What do you do when you’re bored? Go on Facebook? Twitter? Instagram? Maybe, just maybe, catch up on some homework? Although these things are good to pass a short amount of time, they don’t pass the time as well as finding a captivating show on television. With so many options to choose from sometimes it can turn into a frustrating task of channel surfing.
“Homeland,” with only two seasons televised so far, has been one of the best shows on television in a long time. Hosted by Showtime, this show includes everything from politics to intense action, love triangles to war, and family relationships being taken to a whole new emotional level. Because this show appears on a paid network it runs for an hour without commercials, and the network can take the show in places that a R-rated film would go.
Between the production quality, effects and story line, this show gives the feeling of watching an exceptionally prolonged movie that’s not over yet. There are so many surprises and twists that the chance of becoming bored because your predictions are correct is not even an option.
The plot of the first season begins with the return home of Marine Sargent Nicolas Brody. Sargent Brody was taken as a prisoner of war in Afghanistan years earlier, he was pronounced dead due to the amount of time he had been missing. He returns home to his wife and two children who have already accepted his death. That mini story alone could be twisted and turned into a dramatic TV show, but there is so much more going on…
Carrie Mathison is an officer of the CIA, an expert on the war, and is secretly taking medication for being bi-polar. She knows all the major people involved and too many government secrets. Although no one really supports her belief, she believes and eventually obsesses over her idea that Brody has actually turned on the United States and has returned as a spy. The plot in this story is complex but the way it is written makes it very easy to follow; adults of any age can watch and follow along without getting confused or lost.
I won’t go too much more into detail; hopefully that was enough information for you to get the gist of the show without screaming “spoiler alert!”
On a side note, this show has won numerous awards, including six Emmys in 2012  in categories such as Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series.
Don’t worry if you don’t have cable or don’t pay for the premium channels; you can purchase seasons of “Homeland” at places like amazon.com. You can purchase them to view online (each episode is $1.99) or you can download the entire season for $21.99. You can also use Amazon to purchase the season on DVD for $36.25.
The third season of “Homeland” will premiere on Sunday, Sept. 19, which gives you plenty of time to catch up with seasons one and two!
For a complete list of awards and nominations “Homeland” has received, click here.