Suraj Sharma as seen in “Homeland”

Welcome home: One of television's most critically acclaimed dramas is launching another season, and it's making a few changes to its talented and diverse cast for this fourth outing.

"Homeland" premieres Sunday, Oct. 5, on Showtime, and avid watchers of this nail-biting political thriller will be seeing some new faces on screen, even more of some already known favorites and, unfortunately, the loss of some beloved characters.

Actors who will be joining the thriller's diverse cast include Corey Stoll ("The Strain"), Suraj Sharma ("Life of Pi," 2012), Laila Robins ("True Crime," 1999) and Michael O'Keefe ("Roseanne"). They'll be joining lead actress Claire Danes ("My So-Called Life"), who shines on screen as CIA officer Carrie Mathison.

Meanwhile, actress Nazanin Boniadi ("How I Met Your Mother," "Scandal"), who first appeared in "Homeland" last season, has been upped to a series regular, continuing her role as a CIA analyst.

Unfortunately, all of these new and upped actors are moving in to fill some holes that were left with the departure of some other cast members. Morena Baccarin ("V," "Heartland"), Damian Lewis ("Band of Brothers") and Morgan Saylor ("The Greening of Whitney Brown," 2011) are all departing as series regulars with the new season.

The world of international espionage is a fast-moving one, where players constantly come and go. The world depicted in "Homeland" is no exception, but that's just one reason for the show's success. Season 4 of this political drama premieres Sunday, Oct. 5, on Showtime.

Cop humor: Cop comedies are notoriously tricky to pull off. The men and women in blue deal with all sorts of serious issues on a daily basis, and striking the wrong tone can lead to an uncomfortable disaster.

Well it seems that Fox's sophomore comedy managed to pull it off. "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" launched to critical acclaim last season, netting itself two Golden Globe awards and earning the loyalty of viewers looking for laughs. So is it any wonder that the guest stars have been lining up for the second season?

Season 2 premiered Sunday, Sept. 28, on Fox, and already the first guest star has made an appearance: Jenny Slate ("The Lorax," 2012, "Parks and Recreation") probably felt right at home on the set of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine." She and lead actor Andy Samberg ("Celeste and Jesse Forever," 2012) once worked side-by-side on the set of NBC's iconic "Saturday Night Live."

She's far from the only guest who'll be popping into Brooklyn's 99th police precinct this season, though. Former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens will be appearing as himself, while "The Closer's" Kyra Sedgwick will reportedly be showing up in two episodes.

Perhaps the biggest announcement, though, is that Eva Longoria will be guest starring as a defense attorney in a plot arc that will span several episodes. The "Desperate Housewives" and "The Young and the Restless" alum will catch Det. Jake Peralta's (Samberg) eye when the two of them go head-to-head in court, and knowing Peralta's reputation, things might not remain strictly professional.

By focusing on the characters and their zany antics rather than the crimes they tackle, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" has succeeded at being a cop comedy without hitting uncomfortably close to home. Catch a new episode Sunday, Oct. 5, on Fox.

Coming on board: The worst disagreements are within families.

As the old saying goes, you can choose your friends but you can't choose your family. Well, NBC is taking that message to heart with a new miniseries it has in the works. "The Slap," which is based on an Australian series with the same name, has been creating a bit of a buzz around Hollywood, and while it's still in its early stages, the talent is already signing up to star.

Signed on as co-stars are Zachary Quinto and Brian Cox. Quinto is no stranger to TV miniseries. He starred in the first two installments of "American Horror Story," and that, along with his starring role in "Heroes," made him into a small-screen presence to be reckoned with. He hasn't limited himself to TV, either. His big screen roles are many, but it's his performance as Spock in "Star Trek" (2009) and "Star Trek: Into Darkness" (2013) that really put him on the radar of filmgoers.

Cox is a screen veteran with dozens of credits to his name. He starred in the miniseries "Nuremberg" in 2000, and last year appeared in the thriller "Red 2" (2013). In "The Slap," he'll be playing the patriarch of a large family who tries to defuse the tension and resentment that crops up at a family barbecue when one man (Quinto) slaps another's misbehaving child.

With Mary-Louise Parker ("Weeds") and Peter Sarsgaard ("The Killing") also signed up for the miniseries, it's looking like NBC is seeing stars for "The Slap."