Entertainment

How real is ‘Homeland’?

Without question, Showtime’s new series “Homeland” is one heckuva thriller, involving “sleuthy” spies and terrible terrorists that will leave even honest-to-goodness James Bonds sitting on the edge of their seats.

The twists and turns in the still-evolving plot of a possible terrorist attack on the homeland (where else?!) shows some terrific research and writing.

But, if you’re watching “Homeland” thinking it is some version of “CIA: The Reality Show,” you might be a bit disappointed. Of course, this is Hollywood — not Langley.

If the show deviates much from the real world of intelligence, it’s in its depiction of what role the CIA plays and how, in some cases, their daring spooks do the spy thing.

First, running down a possible terrorist here in the US is really a job for domestic law enforcement agencies, such as the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security — not the CIA.

Simply put: The CIA generally fights terrorism overseas, while the FBI and others handle it here, especially when it involves a US citizen like Nick Brody (Damien Lewis), an Iraq prisoner of war, who some believe is a Marine turned Muslim “Manchurian Candidate.”

Plus, the show’s Jane Blonde, Carrie (Clare Danes), is conducting a rogue surveillance operation of Brody and his family, providing a ticking legal time bomb just waiting to explode across the front page of a major newspaper — and into a ripsnorting congressional inquiry.

But putting all of that legal-schmegal stuff aside, there are also some genuine issues about how Carrie does her job — not to mention her flag-raising behavior that has so far (but shouldn’t have) evaded the folks who give out security clearances.

For instance, there’s her apartment, which is filled with pictures and slips of paper of what can only be assumed to be classified information about our No. 1 terrorist target. Not a good way to keep a secret.

And the show seems to blur the lines between being a CIA analyst and CIA operative — another unlikely scenario, but one that fans of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan know happens a lot in the spy-fiction genre.

Carrie’s mishandling of an operation that led to the untimely death of her asset — the “girlfriend” of a Saudi prince — is bothersome as well, not only because of the lies she told the woman about having her blanketed with security, but also some of the semi-public places Carrie meets her asset that could’ve allowed bad guys to eavesdrop.

In the end, the energetic, can-do Carrie is a bit quirky for a long career at Langley — and the show notes that she’s been in agency time-out for some previous mistakes. But she is likable in a patriotic, never-going-to-let-9/11-happen-again sort of way.

All in all, despite a few nitpicks, “Homeland” does a good job of giving outsiders a look inside the hall of mirrors of today’s spy biz, especially shining a spotlight on the often-faceless, brave Americans who are battling a real terror threat.

Peter Brookes is a former deputy assistant secretary of defense with two decades of experience in the intelligence world.