Homecoming premiered on Prime Video in 2018, and it landed with a bang. Created by Sam Esmail, Micah Bloomberg, and Eli Horowitz, the series is a psychological thriller that follows Heidi Bergman, a caseworker at Homecoming, a Geist Group facility helping soldiers transition to civilian life. The show is based on the Gimlet Media podcast of the same name, and it stars Julia Roberts, Bobby Cannavale, Stephan James, Shea Whigham, Alex Karpovsky, and Sissy Spacek in its first season.
The show’s premise is simple on paper but complex in execution. Heidi leaves Homecoming under mysterious circumstances and years later is working as a waitress, living with her mother, when a Department of Defense auditor questions why she left. She quickly realizes that the story she has been telling herself is not the whole story. The show is a slow burn, and it rewards patience.
Trailer, via Prime Video.
Julia Roberts and the First Season
Julia Roberts carries the first season as Heidi Bergman. Her performance is understated and controlled, and she makes the character’s emotional unraveling feel real. The show’s slow pacing is a deliberate choice, and Roberts is the reason it works. She grounds the mystery in a human center.
Stephan James plays Walter Cruz, and Shea Whigham plays a recurring role. The show uses its ensemble well, and the supporting cast adds layers to the central mystery. Alex Karpovsky plays a fellow caseworker, and Sissy Spacek plays a Geist executive. Spacek’s scenes carry real menace.
The show’s first season is also well directed. Sam Esmail directed every episode of the first season, and his visual style is bold. The show uses color, light, and shadow to create a sense of unease, and the cinematography is sharp. The show is often beautiful, but the beauty is always a trap. The camera lingers on a face, a room, a corner of a building, and the show lets the silence do the work.
The Podcast Origin
Homecoming is adapted from a Gimlet Media podcast, and the show honors that origin. The show does not simply retell the podcast’s story; it expands it. The first season is a close adaptation of the podcast, but the show has a longer runtime and it uses that time to explore the characters in more depth.
The podcast was a hit, and the show is a hit, but they are not the same thing. The show uses the language of film and television to tell its story. The show’s creators are all involved in the podcast, and their shared understanding of the material is clear in the final product.
The Second Season
The second season premiered on May 22, 2020, and it is a different show. It deviates from the podcast, featuring a new story and new characters. The second season is directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez, and it stars Janelle Monáe as Jackie Calico / Alex Eastern, Chris Cooper as Leonard Geist, and Joan Cusack. Stephan James and Hong Chau return from the first season.
The second season is a gamble. It follows a different group of characters, set years after the first season. It is connected to the same universe, and it picks up where the first season left off in terms of the Homecoming facility’s shadow.
The Season One Cast
- Julia Roberts as Heidi Bergman
- Stephan James as Walter Cruz
- Bobby Cannavale in the Homecoming facility
- Shea Whigham in a recurring role
- Alex Karpovsky as a fellow caseworker
- Sissy Spacek as a Geist executive
- Sydney Poitier, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Brooke Bloom, Ayden Mayeri, Jacob Pitts, and Fran Kranz in recurring roles
The show’s creators are a trio of creative forces, and their collaboration is a strength of the show. Sam Esmail is a director and writer, and his visual style is bold. Micah Bloomberg and Eli Horowitz are the show’s creators, and they also served as writers and executive producers. The show’s direction is a shared effort, and the show’s visual style is a product of that collaboration.
The Season Two Cast
The second season expands the cast. Janelle Monáe plays Jackie Calico / Alex Eastern, Chris Cooper plays Leonard Geist, and Joan Cusack joins the show. Stephan James and Hong Chau return from the first season, giving the second season a familiar anchor even as the story shifts.
The Show’s Direction
Sam Esmail directed every episode of the first season, and Kyle Patrick Alvarez directed the second. The show uses color, light, and shadow to create a sense of unease, and the cinematography is sharp throughout both seasons. The camera lingers on a face, a room, a corner of a building, and the show lets the silence do the work.
The Show in Review
Homecoming is a great show. It is not perfect, but it is compelling. The show’s first season is a masterpiece of slow burn, and it is a show that rewards attention. The second season is a gamble that pays off. It is a visual adaptation of a podcast, and it is a show that knows what it is.
The show is available to stream on Prime Video, and it is worth your time. It is a show that will stay with you, and it is a show that will make you think.
| Season | Premiere Date | Director | Main Story | Main Cast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2018 | Sam Esmail | Heidi Bergman’s past at Homecoming | Julia Roberts, Stephan James, Bobby Cannavale |
| 2 | May 22, 2020 | Kyle Patrick Alvarez | New story, new characters | Janelle Monáe, Chris Cooper, Joan Cusack |
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
