'Homeland' & 'Masters Of Sex' Picked Up For New Seasons By Showtime

Showtime has renewed two of it's most popular shows, Homeland and Masters of Sex, for additional seasons past their current run. The network announced their plans to continue each series by at least one more season by a public statement, released via Entertainment Weekly, on Tuesday, 22 October.

The cast of Homeland won't be going anywhere soon

David Nevins, President of entertainment on Showtime, said in the statement, “Homeland continues to prove its strength for Showtime, and is one of television’s most exciting, provocative and widely-discussed shows. It has grown its audience significantly in each of its three seasons. The critical and audience reaction to Masters of Sex since its great launch has been incredibly gratifying. It’s a privilege to get to work with such talented and creative people as Alex Gansa and Michelle Ashford, as well as their tremendous casts. They have each created truly original shows, with distinctive voices that are among the most admired series on television.”

Both shows are due to return to the network next year and both will return with a 12-episode run - the same amount as the season preceding it.

Each of the drama series have emerged as Showtime's most popular shows, especially since the end of Dexter earlier this year. When Dexter finished, Homeland moved to the top of Showtime's ratings average, bringing in approximately 6.5 million viewers across all platforms each week. Master of Sex has also enjoyed strong viewing figures since debuting this year, bringing in roughly 5.4 million per new episode. Whilst Homeland enjoys being Showtime's most popular series for now, there is a chance that by the time the two shows return to our screen, Masters of Sex will be the main ratings winner.

Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan have both received recognition for their acting on Masters of Sex

The third, current seasons for Homeland has so far been met with largely positive reviews, however many are complaining about the over-complex story lines that seem to run into brick walls, and as a result the current run has become the least popular season, according to MetaCritic, of the show. Masters of Sex on the other hand is one of the most positively reviewed shows of the year, and it's audience figures could soon eclipse Homeland's as it continues to bring in a wider audience.

Homeland ould be ousted at Showtime's most popular show by next season