After three seasons in Charlotte, NC, Showtime drama Homeland is leaving the US to film its fourth season in Cape Town, South Africa. The end of Season 3 found Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) taking a job as a station chief in Istanbul. Showtime wouldn’t specify where exactly Mathison would work as the new season is still being mapped out, only saying that she is being “assigned to one of the most volatile and dangerous CIA stations in the Middle East where she is back on the front lines in the war on terror.” At TCA in January, Showtime president David Nevins already shed light on the setup for Season 4 with Mathison in the field overseas. “Homeland is a show that is deeply about a field operative (Carrie), and we haven’t seen her much in the field,” he said. “In Season 4 you will likely see her on the ground in a foreign capital doing her job,” adding that co-star Mandy Patinkin will continue to be “central and important” to the show.

Homeland will begin production in mid-June and shoot through November. “We’ve been so lucky to work with one of the best crews in the business for the last three seasons in Charlotte,” said showrunner and executive producer Alex Gansa. “We knew going into season four that we would need to move the production overseas to tell the story of Carrie returning to the Middle East as chief of station. We are thrilled to have found a new home in Cape Town and look forward to getting season four production off the ground.”