Alex Gansa answered questions here.

Alex Gansa, the show runner for “Homeland,” is taking questions from Times readers this week.

“Homeland” has come a long way since its early days as a cat-and-mouse psychodrama between Carrie Mathison, Clare Danes’s erratic C.I.A operative, and Sgt. Nicholas Brody, the double agent played by Damian Lewis.

Just over 4,100 miles, to be specific. That’s the distance between the Washington area and Berlin, the location of the Showtime thriller’s fifth season, which ends Dec. 20. Along the way Carrie had a baby, Mr. Lewis moved on and the show has been declared dead and resuscitated multiple times. But its twisty narrative about international terrorists and their pursuers remains as relevant as ever, alas.

Image Alex Gansa Credit... Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Before creating “Homeland” with Howard Gordon, Mr. Gansa was a writer and producer on series ranging from “24” to “Dawson’s Creek.” He was also one of many acclaimed TV creators who came through the “X-Files” shop in the 1990s (see also: Vince Gilligan, Frank Spotnitz, et. al).