'Homeland' season 6 air date, plot spoilers: Unkempt, 'different' Peter Quinn for upcoming installment?

It was touch and go for Peter Quinn during the dying minutes of season 5, but fans will be happy to know that he will be back when "Homeland" returns for its sixth season in January.

The last fans saw of Quinn (Rupert Friend), he was cooped up in a hospital bed and in very bad shape after being exposed to lethal gas when jihadists captured him. There were speculations that it was a subtle way to release Friend from the series, but latest set photos shared by Hollywood Life prove otherwise.

In the photos, Friend is sporting a different look, a disheveled on, at that. He had on baggy clothes and scruffy hair. The unkempt look is a far cry from Quinn's usual style, but the good thing is the character is alive and is probably filming scenes for the political thriller's comeback in 2017.

In an interview during the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour, showrunner Alex Gansa told reporters that Quinn is definitely alive, but he stopped from revealing what the character's condition is.

"He suffered a major stroke last season ... so he is a very changed and altered Quinn this year... He had a fairly rough ride last season, no doubt about it. Quinn this coming season will really represent a very profound and familiar casualty of the war on terror for our audience. What he endured last year is different from what he's going through this year [when it comes to Carrie]."

There were also pictures of Claire Danes, who plays Carrie Mathison on the series, looking a tad stressed as she roams the streets of New York. Incidentally, "Homeland" season 6 will be set in the Big Apple during the time that the United States is transitioning from one seat of power to another.

"Homeland" season 6 is expected to drop in on Jan. 15, 2017 at 9 p.m. on Showtime. In the meantime, check out this preview of the upcoming installment below.