Nothing brings in the ratings like a shocking death!
Homeland's season three finale broke ratings records for the series and Showtime on Sunday, Dec. 15.
The episode attracted 2.4 million viewers at 9 p.m. and 2.9 total viewers for the night, making it Homeland's highest-rated episode ever. That's a 27 percent increase from the season three premiere, according to Showtime.
Plus, Homeland's third season averaged seven million weekly viewers to-date, making it the series' highest-rated season ever and Showtime's only original series to cross the seven million mark. Talk about impressive stats.
But the finale didn't just dominate the ratings as it also had the Internet buzzin' after the death of (spoiler alert!) Brody, the show's male lead. (Lewis has won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his work on the series. Though the show has dominated awards shows in the past, Homeland was shut out of the 2014 Golden Globes nominations. )
After being deemed an enemy of the state, Brody was sentenced to death by the IRG (something Javadi was totally down with), which resulted in his public hanging as a horrified and helpless Carrie watched.
Prior to the finale's airing, it was reported that stars Morena Baccarin and Morgan Saylor, who play Brody's wife Jessica and daughter Dana, would not be returning as series regulars for the fourth season.
Homeland's stellar ratings also helped to boost freshman drama Masters of Sex's finale numbers.
The series, which was nominated for a Golden Globe, finished its first season with 1.2 million viewers at 10 p.m. (and 1.5 million total viewers for the night), up 21 percent from its season premiere.