Homecoming (TV series)

Did You Know?

• The series held its world premiere at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival at the Ryerson Theatre.
• The second season deviates from the podcast, featuring a new story and characters.

Premise

Heidi Bergman once worked as a social worker at the Homecoming Transitional Support Center, a Geist Group live-in facility that claimed to help soldiers readjust to civilian life. Four years later, she lives with her mother and works as a waitress, but she has nearly total amnesia about her time at Homecoming. When a U.S. Department of Defense auditor asks why she left the facility, Bergman begins to recall that she was deceived about the facility’s real mission. Separately, a woman awakens on a rowboat unable to remember how she got there. She reaches the shore in a catatonic state and is found by park ranger Donna. The woman’s VA card identifies her as Jackie, a veteran. Donna takes her to a hospital, where a doctor suspects heroin use because of a bruise on her arm. Jackie leaves before they can question her. A patient she met in the emergency room drives her to Skins, a bar and restaurant. Jackie had discovered a napkin from Skins in her coat. Hoping the visit will clarify her situation, she is confronted by an employee who suggests she has been there before.

Cast and characters

Julia Roberts is Heidi Bergman in the first season, a caseworker at a covert government operation called the Homecoming Transitional Support Center, where she looks after Walter. Bobby Cannavale plays Colin Belfast, Heidi’s boss in season one, with a brief return in season two. Stephan James takes the role of Walter Cruz, a young military veteran and a client at the Homecoming facility who wants to get back to normal life. Shea Whigham appears as Thomas Carrasco in season one, a Department of Defense official looking into the Homecoming Transitional Support Center. Alex Karpovsky is Craig, a facility employee in season one who also appears in season two. Sissy Spacek plays Ellen Bergman, Heidi’s mother, in season one. Janelle Monáe stars in season two as Jacqueline Calico, also known as Alex Eastern, a woman who finds herself on a rowboat and tries to figure out who she is. Hong Chau portrays Audrey Temple, an assistant at Geist Emergent Group, the company that owns Homecoming; she appears in season two and has a recurring role in season one. Chris Cooper is Leonard Geist in season two, the owner of Geist Emergent Group. Joan Cusack plays Francine Bunda in season two, a Department of Defense representative who becomes a Geist partner after the Homecoming incident. Ayden Mayeri is Reina, the Homecoming Facility receptionist in season one. Bill Stevenson plays Abe, Sam Marra is Javen, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste appears as Gloria Morisseau, Walter’s mother, all in season one. Jeremy Allen White plays Shrier, a fellow soldier from Walter’s unit who is also a client at the facility in season one. Alden Ray is Maurice, Henri Esteve is Abel, Frankie Shaw is Dara, and Gwen Van Dam is Mrs. Trotter, all in season one. Brooke Bloom plays Pam, Carrasco’s boss at the Department of Defense. Sydney Poitier Heartsong is Lydia Belfast, Colin’s wife, in season one. Dermot Mulroney plays Anthony, Heidi’s boyfriend, in season one. Marcus Henderson is Engel, Jason Rogel is Cory, Rafi Gavron is Rainey, and Jacob Pitts plays AJ, who is trying out new business ideas, all in season one. Lewie Bartone is New Guy, Kristof Konrad is Mr. Heidl, and Fran Kranz plays Ron, Colin’s boss at Geist Emergent Group. Tyler Ritter is Lane, Mary Holland is Wendy, Jimmy Bellinger is Chad, Christopher Redman is Kyle, Johnny Sneed is Dr.

Production

Universal Cable Productions secured the rights to adapt the Gimlet Media podcast Homecoming into a television series on December 16, 2016, with Sam Esmail attached to develop the project. The first season counted Esmail’s Esmail Corp, podcast creators Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg, producer Alicia Van Couvering, Gimlet co-founders Alex Blumberg and Matt Lieber, and Gimlet Pictures founder Chris Giliberti among its executive producers. Production companies involved included Esmail Corp, Anonymous Content, and Gimlet Media. Universal reportedly beat out competitors such as Sony Pictures Television, which had sought Michelle MacLaren; 20th Century Fox Television, which had pursued Matt Reeves and Michael De Luca; and TriStar Pictures, which had eyed George Clooney and his Smoke House Pictures for a feature film. On July 19, 2017, Amazon Video ordered two seasons straight to series, with Horowitz and Bloomberg writing and Esmail directing. The premiere was set for November 2, 2018, announced on July 20, 2018. The second season’s premiere was announced for May 22, 2020, on April 8, 2020. Esmail and Julia Roberts returned as executive producers for the second season, though Esmail did not direct any episodes and Roberts did not reprise her role.

Julia Roberts entered talks for the female lead on June 5, 2017. Stephan James was cast as the male lead on November 8, 2017, with Bobby Cannavale joining later that month. Shea Whigham was added as a series regular on January 17, 2018. In March 2018, Alex Karpovsky joined the main cast, while Dermot Mulroney, Hong Chau, Jeremy Allen White, Sydney Poitier, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Brooke Bloom, Ayden Mayeri, Jacob Pitts, and Sissy Spacek were cast in recurring roles, and Fran Kranz appeared as a guest star. On January 16, 2019, it was reported that Roberts would not reprise her role as Heidi Bergman in the second season but would remain an executive producer. Janelle Monáe was announced to star in the second season on July 23, 2019. Stephan James and Hong Chau were confirmed to return in August 2019, and Chris Cooper was cast the following month. Joan Cusack and Mary Holland joined the cast in recurring roles in December 2019.

Reception

Critics gave the series as a whole a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 75 on Metacritic. The first season was widely praised. It earned a 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average score of 8.3 out of 10 from 99 reviews. The site’s critics wrote that it was an impressive first TV role for Julia Roberts, blending a haunting mystery with a frantic energy that holds the viewer tight. On Metacritic, the first season scored 83 out of 100 from 35 critics, a rating described as “universal acclaim.” The second season drew a more mixed response. It holds a 60% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, averaging 6.7 out of 10 from 48 reviews. Critics there noted that while the season remains stylish, well-acted, and compelling, it cannot escape the shadow of its predecessor. Metacritic gave the second season a 61 out of 100 from 21 critics, which falls under “generally favorable reviews.”