Homeland vs. 24

Original Channel

Homeland: Showtime

24: Fox

 

Creators

Homeland: Gideon Raff

24:Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran

Stars (Season One)

Homeland: Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, Morena Baccarin, David Harewood, Diego Klattenhoff, Jackson Pace, Morgan Saylor, Mandy Patinkin

24:Kiefer Sutherland, Leslie Hope, Sarah Clarke, Elisha Cuthbert, Dennis Haysbert

Air dates

Homeland: October 2, 2011 - Present

24: November 6, 2001 - May 24, 2010

Season structure (Season One)

Homeland: 12 episodes of 50-60 minutes

24: 24 episodes of 43 minutes

Why?

Both shows are about preventing terrorist attacks on US home soil. 

The Differences

Main characters: There’s  an ambiguity of morality (Sergeant Brody) and mental stability (Carrie) in Homeland that isn’t as present with Jack in 24. We know Jack is the hero, and even though he may be violent and do questionable things, it’s all for the greater good and will lead to the right end. Carrie and Sergeant Brody represent anti-heroes. We’re constantly questioning if what they’re doing has good intentions or will lead to the right result. There’s an unfailing trust with Jack, but with Carrie and Sergeant Brody, we just don’t know. There is no “good guy” and “bad guy.”


An example of a time when we know Carrie is right but can't trust her because she's off her meds:

Pacing: 24 has a distinct structure: Each episode is an hour in a 24 episode (and 24 hour) day. The episodes begin with “The following takes place between … and … on the day of … Events take place in real time.” This is more creative than the timing of Homeland, which spans months, and even jumps 10 months in just the opening scene. This lends 24 a faster pace since all the events have to take place on one day, and the audience is reminded of the time throughout the hour with a count down. There are a lot of split screens to show what’s going on at the same time. However, this also limits 24’s structure somewhat, since everything does have to happen in one day. Homeland offers more time for relationships to build and change and for characters to develop within an episode or a season.

The Similarities

Both pilots explore the family-work strain. Carrie is so busy she doesn’t have time for a social life. Sergeant Brody is returning from being held in captivity for years, so the show devotes time to his readjustment with family. In 24, Jack has just reconciled with his wife, and they have a rebellious teenage daughter. Similarly, in Homeland the teenage daughter is found smoking out of a bong and the teenage daughter on 24 has joints hidden in her desk. 

Sense of loneliness and distrust: In 24, Jack is told “Don’t trust anybody, not even your own people.” Jack, Carrie and Sergeant Brody are on their own. They have mentors, but they have to rely on themselves to make the ultimate decisions because they can’t trust anyone. 

Overarching story: We as an audience know what’s planned (a terrorist attack or assassination) most of the time, but we don’t know who’s going to do it. The seasons build up to big events that have to be stopped, with tiny yet shocking reveals at the end of each episode.

Conclusion

The shows have overall very similar themes. There’s an ambiguity with the main characters in Homeland that isn’t as present in 24, but this is probably more likely due to 24 airing directly after the September 11^th attacks and Homeland airing 10 years later, reflecting the American consciousness towards war and the conflict in the Middle East. There are differences in style, but most differences don’t seem to be related to the shows airing on network vs. cable.