‘Homeland’ season 6, episode 4: Should Showtime have aired new episode tonight?

It’s not much of a surprise that there would be no new episode of “Homeland” tonight. After all, just consider the competition! The Super Bowl is the most-watched event on American television over the course of the entire year. Therefore, there is no reason for Showtime to want to go against it.

Now that we’ve said that, this decision may not be anywhere near as cut-and-dry as you would probably assume. Think about it in this sense. Showtime has in the past opted to air some new programming opposite the big game, knowing one thing above all else: Live ratings don’t matter for them at all. If you can afford to have a premium cable package, there’s a good chance that you either have access to the app, the internet, or a DVR. Therefore, there are some other ways for you to watch the show after the fact.

The biggest thing that matters to Showtime are the subscriptions — you want a show to draw in people willing to pay money. With that in mind, does it really matter all that much when the network decides to air episodes? We don’t think so.

In the end, though, we’re assuming that Showtime is making this decision based on one criteria: Relevancy. They see a correlation between people discussing “Homeland” and getting more people to subscribe to the network. Therefore, if they were to air a new episode tonight, they run the risk of nobody really talking about it. The episode would be watched, but it would disappear into the ether and not produce that pop-culture POW that they clearly want for a show this relevant. It’s a little different than some of their other programs, which do not rely on this nearly as much.

Here’s the good news: After tonight, there will be new episodes airing every week once more. Showtime won’t be taking breaks because of the Grammys or the Oscars.

Do you think that Showtime is making the right decision when it comes to “Homeland”? Share now in the comments, and head over here to get some further news, including an extended preview for the next new episode of the show. (Photo: Homeland.)