In this Tuesday, June 5, 2018 file photo, Claire Danes attends the "Homeland" FYC Event at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.(AP) --
Showtime says that its acclaimed series "Homeland" will end in 2019 with its eighth season.
The show's conclusion was announced Monday by Showtime Networks chief David Nevins, who called the Emmy-winning "Homeland" a game-changer for the premium cable channel.
Nevins told a TV critics' meeting that creator-producer Alex Gansa will bring the national security drama to what he called its "proper conclusion."
In a statement, Gansa said he was sad to see the series end but said that it's time.
Claire Danes stars in "Homeland," which has taken her bipolar, now former CIA agent Carrie through dangerous conflicts that sometimes mirrored real-world events.
Last season, Carrie struggled to uncover an international conspiracy trying to harm America's democratic institutions.
The final season of "Homeland" will debut in June 2019.
Television producer Mark Burnett, left, looks on as President Donald Trump arrives for the National Prayer Breakfast, Feb. 2, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Mark Burnett, the power producer who helped reintroduce Donald Trump to a national television audience with "The Apprentice," is being tapped by the president-elect as special envoy to the United Kingdom in his upcoming administration.
"With a distinguished career in television production and business, Mark brings a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to this important role," Trump announced Saturday.
Burnett, who was born in London, helped produce hits like "Survivor" and "The Voice," but is perhaps best known for teaming up with Trump for "The Apprentice," which first aired on NBC in 2004.
Trump had been well-known in real estate and pop culture circles for decades. But the show helped again make him a household name — though Trump severed ties with NBC in 2015, the same year he launched his first White House run.
The selection of Burnett continues Trump's trend of filling out his incoming administration with people who have high-profile backgrounds in television or politics, or both — including his choice to be defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, a former co-host of "Fox & Friends Weekend," and ex-television doctor and unsuccessful Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, Mehmet Oz.
Trump's first campaign in 2016 was rocked by allegations about his conduct on "The Apprentice" and other appearances during his association with NBC, notably in footage in which he said he could sexually assault women and get away with it because he was a "star."
Almost a decade after he left his reality TV role, Trump's television career remains central to his biography and political rise. The show presented Trump Tower to tens of millions of people as a symbol of power and success before Trump launched his first... Read More
