The creative team that originally developed the show 24 has recently created a new show for the Showtime network called “Homeland”. The show includes in its cast a character named Carrie Mathison, played by Claire Danes. Mathison, who is a CIA analyst, has bipolar disorder. For the first arc of the television show, she will be somewhat obsessively concerned with the loyalty of eight-year P.O.W. Nicholas Brody. Claire Danes has first billing on the television show, making it the first major series to have a bipolar character as the primary character. The show will premiere on Sunday, October 2nd. You can find out more on their official website here.
Commentary
Unfortunately, I don’t get Showtime, but I’ll try to find some way to watch this show, if only on DVD. My hope is that the show will handle Mathison’s bipolar disorder in an accurate and balanced way. In a way, any show that puts a bipolar character front-and-center like this has a problem. Since the character is such a prominent bipolar persona, it looks at first like she represents what people at Showtime think all bipolar people are like. That may not be true, and they may simply be trying to represent one bipolar people of many, but that will be the impression. As a result, I hope the representation accurately shows the kind of struggles that people with bipolar disorder face, without making her either a caricature or a saint.
Related posts:
- TV’s Homeland Delves Into Mania *Spoilers*
- “Homeland” Star Claire Danes Named One of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential
- Bipolar Thriller “Homeland” To Return to Israel in September
- Bipolar Disorder in the Mainstream: “Homeland” Season One *Spoilers*
- Filipino Café Celebrates Bipolar Disorder
