Almost from the start, Homeland seemed like a one-season premise, a more grounded kind of American Horror Story that could deliver some satisfying, thought-provoking thrills for a few weeks before flitting off to TV heaven and happily cementing its status as an all-time classic. Of course, Homeland was a critical and ratings success, and picked up six Emmys (including Outstanding Drama) for its freshman season, so unsurprisingly, Showtime demanded seconds. And now, equally unsurprisingly, thirds: The channel has announced that Season 3 of Homeland will begin filming this coming spring.

This is great news if you like Homeland, and somewhat concerning news if you like Homeland. The show has already been drastically resetting its board each week during the twist-heavy second season, but the most recent episode jumped past a season’s worth of potential suspense and deliberation for what seems like a game-ender. How can Homeland possibly continue to be a Carrie/Brody-centric drama in 2013? Even though we’re fairly certain executive producers Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon have an answer to that question, we thought we’d offer a few carefully considered suggestions.

• Homeland: A Royal Engagement: Brody, Estes, and newcomer Peter Quinn are all revealed to be British MI6 agents sent to take down the CIA, sparking a centuries-brewing Revolutionary War rematch.
• Temple Mathison: Carrie leaves the agency to pursue her true calling in agriculture, but is called upon once again to cure Brody’s terrorism via a series of sessions in the hugging machine.
• Friday Night Homeland: Carrie leaves the agency to head a new, poorly funded but scrappy independent intelligence agency and rehabilitate their anti-terrorism program; while Saul stays behind and is forced to contend with Estes, his entitled son, and agency-wide demand for a Jumbotron they can’t afford. (Due to suddenly low ratings, will be moved to Friday night, hence the title.)
• The D.C: Follows fish-out-of-water Dana Brody as she starts her new life among the D.C. Quaker School nouveau riche, and must decide between her sweet, hapless stoner boyfriend and the hot, Beamer-driving son of the V.P.
• Forget continuity — Homeland: Asylum seems like a pretty self-explanatory spin-off.

In other news, The CW’s hunky superhero saga Arrow was also renewed, as was Simon Cowell’s multi-million-dollar Britney Spears exploitation vehicle The X Factor, creating an entirely different set of logistical issues for its producers. Stay tuned for our list of budget-cutting ideas for the third season of America’s Third-Favorite Singing Show!