Morena Baccarin's role downgraded in 'Homeland' season 4

Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Morena Baccarin, who plays Jessica Brody on "Homeland," and Morgan Saylor, who plays her daughter Dana, won't return as regulars for the fourth season of the Showtime drama.

Though their contracts won't be renewed for the next season of the CIA drama, the two actors will have the option to appear as a guest star, much the same way Diego Klattenhoff, who plays Mike, did during the third season.

Increased screen time for Saylor's Dana in season three was a point of friction for fans of the drama, while Baccarin, who was nominated for an best supporting actress Emmy for her role, was almost nonexistent in the latest season. Baccarin was in the third trimester of a pregnancy during much of the third season production and gave birth before filming completed.

"Because Brody was not onscreen and not part of the story in those first couple of episodes, we really wanted to tell the aftermath of the bombing in a more personal way," "Homeland" showrunner Alex Gansa said of the decision to put more focus on Dana during the third season. "The relationship between Dana and her father is very strong. It's stronger than his relationship with Jessica and certainly stronger than his relationship with [son] Chris [Jackson Pace]."

[TV Line] [The Hollywood Reporter]