"Homeland" season 5 is stepping away from the desert as it is set in Berlin, Germany. The story takes place two years after the finale of season 4, but just because Carrie (Claire Danes) isn't in the desert doesn't mean the show is no longer tackling current issues. According to the Hollywood Reporter, season 5 is still a very current show. 

Co-creator Alex Gansa stated in the report that although "Homeland" season 5 is in a different location, it still centers on relevant and current issues that make headlines today. This time around, it deals with online surveillance security, hacking, and personal and corporate privacy. 

"This story is current," Gansa explained. "With all of the stuff that's going on just south of Berlin in the Middle East and to the east in Russia and Ukraine, it's fascinating. Carrie is out of the intelligence business when the season starts and she finds herself in Berlin. It's a center for dissidence. That's where hacktivists go because German privacy laws are so strict. It's hard to have surveillance on people there." 

Season 5 takes place entirely in Germany but that doesn't mean the show won't someday take place once again in the United States. Gansa explained to the Hollywood Reporter that it is just a matter of time — if the series continues to get reviews and high ratings, then it will eventually go back. 

Gansa also stated that this jump might occur soon, citing that there is a lot of difficulty in having one team in Hollywood and another team in another country for production. He also stated that actress Claire Danes may want to go back and stay in the U.S. because her child, Cyrus, is starting to grow up and she may want to be closer to home. 

"Homeland" season 5 premieres this fall.