I think most of us can agree that Homeland went sharply downhill somewhere in its third season. And that was a real shame, considering how brilliant the Emmy-winning first season, and slightly lesser but still deeply enjoyable second season, of the Showtime thriller actually were. Now, the show is prepping its fourth season, which is something of a reboot following the conclusion of the Nicholas Brody storyline that had previously propelled the show forward.

Today, we’re hearing that Homeland has recruited two talented actors to fill the void left by Damian Lewis: Corey Stoll and Laila Robins. Stoll, known to audiences for his role as House Representative Peter Russo on Netflix’s political drama House of Cards, will guest star as Sandy Bachman, the CIA Chief of the Station in Pakistan, who’s widely considered to be a rising star in the agency. Stoll, who will star on FX’s The Strain this summer, doesn’t have a great track record for keeping his characters alive, and the fact that he’s billed as a guest star probably means viewers shouldn’t get too attached to Bachman. The number of episodes he’ll appear in is being kept under wraps.

Robins, on the other hand, has joined the cast as a series regular. She’ll play Martha Boyd, the U.S. Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a neat and professional woman with a stern, clipped tone and dour personality. Robins, perhaps a less familiar face than Stoll, has appeared in In Treatment, Damages and The Sopranos as well as the films Side Effects, The Good Shepherd and True Crime. 

Production on season four of Homeland will kick off this month in Cape Town, South Africa. It finds Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes), still grieving for Brody, returning to the Middle East as chief of station. Mandy Patinkin, Rupert Friend and Nazanin Boniadi are also returning for the fourth season, which will premiere on Showtime this fall.

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