Whether or not you believe Showtime Emmy-winner 'Homeland' lost sight of itself over the last two years, this September will see the Claire Danes counter-terrorism drama back for a fourth season with an all-new conflict. The first tense teaser for 'Homeland' season 4 has arrived, along with a new photo and details on where the cast picks up with a dangerous new threat!

You're warned of some minor spoilers for 'Homeland' season 3 from here on out (and if you're still in the dark about that spoiler, you definitely shouldn't be reading this), but with Nicholas Brody good and gone, Carrie's in need of a new mission. And find that mission she will, as season 4 takes the characters through Pakistan and Afghanistan, as seen in the lightning-fast teaser that debuted on Showtime last night.

Meanwhile, Entertainment Weekly scored the first official photo of the season, as well as a bit of new intel from Showrunner Alex Gansa as to what season 4 of 'Homeland' will focus on:

[Season 4] is about seeing Carrie Mathison for the first time doing the job she was trained to do — being a case officer in a foreign capital. We’re going to see what an intelligence officer does on the ground. How she recruits assets, how she deals with the foreign government and her country team — the people she works with in the embassy — and the host country’s intelligence services. That is a complicated and murky world, one that we hope is filled with intrigue and drama and adventure.

The whole reason we chose this part of the world is that American forces are drawing down in Afghanistan. So the question is: What were we doing there for 14 years? When we leave is the Taliban just going to swoop back in and take the country over? What was all the blood and treasure spent worth? And when the military does draw down, who’s left behind? People like Carrie Mathison and Martha Boyd (Laila Robins) — the CIA and the State Department people are the ones left on the ground when the military leaves, and it’s up to them to try and keep that country intact. Carrie’s on the ground in a dangerous place trying to break the law which puts her in a very charged situation.

Elsewhere, we know of season 4 that past series regulars Morena Baccarin and Morgan Saylor will have understandably reduced (if not entirely omitted) presences in season 4, while Nazanin Boniadi’s Fara has been upped to regular. New additions include 'The Strain''s Corey Stoll, Laila Robins,' 'Life of Pi' star Suraj Sharma, 'Smash''s Raza Jaffrey and Michael O'Keefe, while Mandy Patinkin’s Saul Berenson and Rupert Friend’s Peter Quinn also have been confirmed to return. Additionally, acclaimed scribe Meredith Stiehm will return to the writer’s room full time, having been minimally present in season 3 to work on FX drama ‘The Bridge.’

You can check out the first 'Homeland' season 4 teaser above, as well as the first photo below, and tell us what you want to see when the Showtime drama returns for a fourth mission this fall!

Homeland Season 4 Trailer Teaser Photos Details
Showtime / EW
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