Homeland season 4 will feature Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) on the ground performing her new job as field operative in Istanbul - a major departure from its first three seasons.

Showtime entertainment president David Nevins spoke with critics at the Television Critics Association press tour about Homeland season 4 and what to expect from its two major characters.

"We always knew we were heading towards a major reset," Nevins explained, when discussing season 3 transitioning into season 4. "The likely plan is you will see [Carrie] on the ground [in Istanbul] doing her job . . . You're going to see a different kind of story with [Carrie], and I don't know if it's going to be a one‑season story or two‑season story."

 Meanwhile, Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin) will continue to play a "central" role in the show, though he did not explain how. In the season 3 finale, Saul had left his post as CIA director and begun working through the private sector.

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Nevins also addressed some of the backlash regarding Homeland's third season, such as the lack of Brody (Damian Lewis) through most of the season and the continued focus on Dana (Morgan Saylor).

He explained that certain criticisms "didn't surprise me," but added that "the season was pretty brilliant in its architecture" while being "very clever and very audacious" in how it handled U.S./Iran relations.

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Homeland season 4 premieres in fall 2014 on Showtime, though the channel has not yet announced a specific premiere date. It will likely begin airing in September like the previous three seasons.