Talk about life imitating art.
The hit Showtime drama “Homeland” came in for some ribbing last season when one episode depicted the murder of the vice president via wireless long-distance tampering with his pacemaker. Some fans thought that plot device was a bit over the top.
One “Homeland” fan who bought the storyline, however, was Dick Cheney: The former vice president wears a pacemaker and had worried would-be assassins might try the same tactic on him. “Homeland” depicted “an accurate portrayal of what was possible,” Cheney told CBS’s “60 Minutes” last month.
Loving all the attention was “Homeland” co-creator and executive producer Alex Gansa, a man who dabbles in fantastical fictional intrigue for a living.
Gansa, 53, will appear at 7 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. Gansa, in conversation with JCCSF director of arts and ideas Barbara Lane, will discuss the show’s blend of fast-paced spy thriller, psychological drama and star-crossed romance.
He expects questions about the show’s labyrinthine plot. It’s the story of a former Marine (played by Damian Lewis) held captive for years by Iraqi terrorists, and who comes home a changed man. Claire Danes plays a mentally unstable CIA agent who suspects him of having turned traitor.
“Homeland” is based on the award-winning Israeli show “Hatufim” (“Prisoners of War”). The American version is set in Washington, D.C., though some Middle East scenes were shot in Israel.
Both Danes and Lewis have won Emmys for their work — Danes twice — with the show earning an Emmy and Golden Globe for best drama, as well as a Peabody Award. Gansa, too, received an Emmy for his pilot script.
“Homeland” also stars Mandy Patinkin as Saul Berenson, a CIA bigwig and the show’s only overtly Jewish character.
Audiences have been rabid.
“People have become fascinated by the process of making TV,” Gansa said. “The water-cooler conversation is about ‘Breaking Bad,’ ‘Homeland’ and ‘Game of Thrones,’ in a way that has replaced books and movies. People want some inside baseball, and there’s a lot to tell.”
The show drew praise for the way it captured America’s post-9/11 mood. The lead character of Carrie Mathison (Danes) struggles mightily with mental illness, echoing what Gansa calls our societal schizophrenia.
“Carrie’s bipolar condition mirrors the state of America,” Gansa said. “We are a bipolar place. Things just feel out of control. There’s a manic quality to our politics, a schism in the country, a right-left divide. Those are all embodied in Carrie’s condition.”
Despite its high ratings and multiple awards, “Homeland” has also drawn plenty of criticism, much of it for its depiction of Muslims primarily as genocidal terrorists.
Gansa, a former executive producer of “24” (a show also blasted for its depiction of Muslims), understands the criticism. But he counters that there is no other way to portray jihadists bent on destruction. “We were very conscious of trying to be evenhanded in portrayals of all characters,” he added.
Gansa is a San Francisco native who learned to swim at the JCC. Though not Jewish, he considers himself an “honorary Jew,” in part because he discovered a love of writing via the works of Jewish novelists Saul Bellow and Philip Roth.
He cut his teeth as a producer on hit shows such as “The X-Files,” “Dawson’s Creek” and “Entourage.” As co-creator of “Homeland,” he finally hit the TV jackpot.
Now deep into its third season, “Homeland” has retained most of its audience. And despite having won many awards and starring A-list actors, the show hasn’t a diva among the cast or crew, Gansa said.
It is an “honor and a privilege” to work on the show, he said. “What these people do is a source of wonder to us every day.”
Alex Gansa will speak at 7 p.m. Dec. 6 at the JCC of San Francisco, 3200 California St., S.F. $25-$35. www.jccsf.org