20 TV Acting Performances That Are Totally Flawless
15. Claire Danes - Homeland
In Homeland, Claire Danes can best be described as a force of nature. For eight exhilarating seasons, she starred as CIA officer Carrie Mathison, who worked counterterrorism and suffered from bipolar disorder.
A tragic and obsessive figure, Danes worked unspeakable wonders to keep the mysteries of the series alive, by grounding the show's more melodramatic happenings with an at once stern, explosive and sympathetic performance. Even when the show hit a couple lulls mid-way through its run, audiences could count on Danes to be on top form and rise to the show's challenges.
During her stay on the show, Danes was a critical darling every season, and between Carrie's betrayals, personal woes and constant clashes with America's political landscape, it's little wonder why she gained such a reputation. TV has rarely had such a powerful protagonist.