Homeland season 5 features Islamic State in storyline

Executive producer says it’s so embedded in the European landscape right now that it couldn't be ignored

The fifth season of hit terrorist drama, Homeland, will feature ISIS in its storyline. The US show is based in Europe which is highly affected by the militant group at present.

Following the departure of Damian Lewis, lead actor in the show, Homeland had to be “reinvented”, according to producer Alex Gansa.

Speaking to Radio Times, Alex said, “It has been difficult even to do the research required to portray the jihadist movement and dramatise it. Should we even acknowledge their existence, make them part of the story, and humanise them at some level?”

The ISIS flag. Photo: AFP

The new season shows ex-CIA agent Carrie Matherson (played by Claire Danes) in Berlin, which is currently the hub of Syrian refugees.

“We thought maybe wouldn’t even go there, we would just tell a story about Russian and American intelligence in Berlin. But it’s just so part of the landscape right now that it felt like we were wilfully ignoring something that couldn’t be ignored. So it has crept back into the story in a major way,” Gansa added.

The executive producer also explained why he thinks Europe is so significant right now, saying, “What was happening at the start of the year -- the whole Edward Snowden thing was really snowballing, the rise of ISIS was happening, then there were the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris -- it all felt that now that part of Europe was the centre of the world.”

“Also to put Carrie where she’s no longer in the service of the CIA – she’s a dissident in terms of her relationship with the intelligence agencies. But, put her in Berlin, the great spy town. It really is the centre of the world for these surveillance refuseniks and Snowden-types,” he elaborated.

The season premiere for Homeland aired on Sunday. Watch the trailer here:

This article originally appeared on Independent.