Tag Archives: renewal

Summertime renewals: ‘Preacher’ & ‘Bloodline’ will return

AMC’s Preacher premiered in late May, just as the traditional TV season winded down, and it quickly proved to be wildly entertaining summer fare. Producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, along with Breaking Bad producer Sam Catlin, took the popular comic book series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon and adapted it for the small screen without missing a beat. The darkly comedic drama twists the supernatural genre on its head, weaving a wild tale about good vs. evil featuring a talented cast of misfits including Dominic Cooper’s entitiy-empowered Jesse Custer, Ruth Negga’s bad-ass Tulip, Joseph Gilgun’s hysterical portrayal of an Irish vampire named Cassidy. The already mythos-heavy story will continue when an expanded 13-episode second season arrives next year. Preacher currently airs Sunday nights at 9pm on AMC.

“‘Preacher’ is a special television program and we’re eager to share with fans the rest of this wild first season and, now, an expanded second season,” said AMC head Charlie Collier. “What Sam, Seth, Evan and the entire creative team have achieved in bringing Garth Ennis’ graphic novel to the screen is extraordinary. We look forward to more time with these unforgettable characters be it in Heaven, Hell, Texas or beyond.”

Netflix’s Bloodline is an interesting beast. In its debut season, the dark family drama told an incredibly compelling story about what happens when lies and deception bubble to the surface amidst a tight-knit family. It utilized tantalizing voice-overs and layered flashbacks to uncover the mysteries hiding behind all-too-believable characters embodied by an all-star cast including Kyle Chandler, Ben Mendelsohn, Linda Cardellini, Norbert Leo Butz, and Sissy Spacek. By the end of the season–spoiler alert–Mendelsohn’s scene-stealing Danny Rayburn perished and I wasn’t so sure the show could go on without his menacing presence. Season 2 picks up right where things left off, and Danny does return in flashbacks (as expected), and perhaps more surprisingly he haunts the Rayburns in the present when his son, Nolan, crashes on the scene. The second run worked, sure, but I did not find it to be as compellingly stirring and engaging as before. Without Danny as a living, breathing antagonist to the rest of the Rayburn family, I felt the plot to be meandering and lost at times. Even still, the Rayburns without Danny are still an interesting bunch to follow, and with that said, there’s apparently more story to tell now that Netflix has officially greenlit a third season.

“Todd [Kessler], Daniel [Zelman], and Glenn [Kessler] have created a riveting family saga featuring one of the most talented ensembles in the history of television,” said Cindy Holland, VP Original Content at Netflix. “We can’t wait to see what the next chapter holds for the all-too-human Rayburns.”

Stick it here for more summer renewal news. Continue reading Summertime renewals: ‘Preacher’ & ‘Bloodline’ will return

Status update #9 on your favorite new and returning shows

You know the drill by now–here’s a roundup of recently renewed TV series across network and cable stations. Happy to report there are no major cancellations to share.

NBC is clearly a fan of its Friday night genre fare; Grimm will return for a sixth season, albeit a short season order that will produce 13 episodes instead of the customary 22.

FOX, took you long enough! New Girl fans, you can breathe a quiet sigh of relief; the popular sitcom is coming back for a sixth run. Elsewhere on the network, newbies Lucifer and Rosewood have been renewed for second seasons.

FXX made my heart sing when it commissioned a third season of its surreal relationship sitcom Man Seeking Woman. If you’re not watching this one, you’re missing out.

AMC can’t get enough DeadThe Walking Dead‘s companion series Fear the Walking Dead, currently in the middle of its second season run, is confirmed to unspool a third season set to debut in 2017.

HBO, in a move that surprised no one, swiftly renewed its uber-popular fantasy drama Game of Thrones and critically acclaimed comedies Veep and Silicon Valley. It is Thrones‘ seventh, Veep‘s sixth, and Silicon Valley‘s fourth.

Streamer Hulu loves The Mindy Project, just like the rest of us! Mindy Kaling’s sitcom, which moved over from Fox when the network cancelled it after three seasons, is making a fifth season. Also coming back for more is The Path, the buzzy drama about a controversial cult starring Aaron Paul, Hugh Dancy, and Michelle Monaghan.

Status update #8 on your favorite new and returning shows

May is fast approaching, the month when the majority of network TV series reach their season finales, some with cliffhangers galore. We’re still waiting on many network executives to make final decisions on the fate of their shows, and today I’m back with the latest report concerning your favorite ones. Without further ado…

CBS, in typical fashion, is bringing back the majority of its programming next fall. In one fell swoop, The Eye renewed 11 series: dramas Blue Bloods, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, Hawaii Five-0, Madam Secretary, Elementary, and Scorpion, comedies Mom and 2 Broke Girls, and reality shows Survivor and The Amazing Race. Elsewhere, the time has come to say goodbye to Person of Interest. The addicting crime procedural/serial hybrid from executive producers J.J. Abrams, Jonathan Nolan, and Greg Plageman debuts its fifth and final season on Tuesday, May 3. The EPs released a joint statement for fans, and you can read it after the break.

FOX, meanwhile, is placing lots of confidence in striving drama Gotham and reliably funny comedies Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Last Man on Earth. The DC Comics-based series will return for a third season, and the Andy Samberg and Will Forte sitcoms have secured a fourth and third season, respectively.

ABC swiftly removed biblical drama Of Kings and Prophets from its primetime schedule after two wildly low-rated airings. The end.

FXX is primed to make history with a two-season pickup of veteran sitcom It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Seasons 13 and 14 are currently in the works, and if FX’s sister network eventually greenlights a record-breaking 15th season, it will make It’s Always Sunny the longest-running live-action comedy series of all-time.

AMC, in the least surprising move, has announced that it wants more Better Call Saul. The Breaking Bad spinoff is officially coming back for a 10-episode third season in 2017. Elsewhere on the cable network, martial arts drama Into the Badlands secured a second season.

One dislikes ending on a sour note, but here goes: HBO has opted not to bring back Togetherness for a third season. Its second season, which currently has two episodes remaining, will be its last. The underrated drama from filmmaking brothers Jay and Mark Duplass puts marriage and friendship under a microscope and explores adult relationships with strong sense of finesse and intimate emotion. This one will be missed. Continue reading Status update #8 on your favorite new and returning shows

Status update #3 on your favorite new and returning shows

Many shows that premiered in the fall are about to go on a winter hiatus soon if they haven’t already, and as the seasons change it’s a good time to take our official third look at the TV landscape.

CBS isn’t ready to let go of Code Black just yet. The Marcia Gay-Harden medical procedural has received a five-episode back order, bringing its season 1 episode count to 18. Sure, it’s not a standard Back 9, but any sort of back order these days is a major sign of confidence from a network.

NBC is head over heels for Blindspot. Previously, the big ratings performer starring Jaimie Alexander and Sullivan Stapleton was granted a full season order and was handed an extra episode maxing its season 1 episode count to 23. NBC has no plans to put the kibosh on this thing. In fact, the Peacock network has gone so far as renewing the crime drama for a second season! The net is also happy with Dick Wolf’s offerings; Chicago Fire and its spinoff Chicago P.D. will also be returning for fifth and fourth seasons, respectively, next TV season. And there’s the dramedy that just keeps chugging: The Mysteries of Laura headlined by Debra Messing has been given the greenlight to pump out three additional episodes in its second season; that ups its current season’s episode count to 16.

ABC clearly holds its comedic Wednesday night lineup in high regard. The Middle, The Goldbergs, and black-ish are all seeing episode count bumps to 24 half-hour installments. Modern Family is conspicuously missing from this list, but rest assured that it too will more than likely follow suit. Elsewhere, Tuesday night comedy Fresh off the Boat nabbed a full season order plus the two episode increase bringing its final season 2 tally to 24 eps. Following all of this good news, I’ve saved a sour one for last. The alphabet network is the first to make an official cancellation among the major nets this season and the loser is Wicked City. The incredibly low-rated serial killer drama has been pulled from the schedule after airing only three episodes.

Over at CBS’ sister network The CW, freshman Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and sophomore iZombie have been allotted an additional five episodes. This increases their episode counts to 18 and 19, respectively.

No surprises here: FX wants more American Horror Story and Fargo. The two critically acclaimed series from Ryan Murphy and Noah Hawley, respectively, are solid performers for the cable station and their anthological nature fosters exciting creative overhauls every year.

‘Serial’ podcast renewed for second and third seasons telling “two distinct new stories”

Serial, the hugely popular, award-winning podcast from This American Life & Chicago public radio station WBEZ, returns to tell a brand new true crime crime story later this year. In an email to subscribers, investigative journalist and Serial host Sarah Koenig confirmed that season two will land this fall and a third season will follow shortly thereafter in Spring 2016; italics added for extra emphasis and extreme excitement. In the message to Serial listeners picked up by Bustle, Koenig reiterates that season one’s arc involving Adnan Syed and the death of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee will not carry over into the new seasons.

We are hard at work reporting not one, but two distinct new stories. This means we’re planning on a third season of Serial. And we hope it means we can reduce the amount of time between the end of Season Two and the beginning of Season Three. As it stands, we intend to launch Season Two this fall and Season Three next spring. Sorry – we can’t tell you details about the new stories yet. What we can say is that they’re very different from Season One, but no less interesting to us.

In addition to announcing news of a third season coming next spring, Koenig commented on the latest news surrounding the case she covered in season one. Spoilers followSerial‘s popularly and the way in which in shed light on Adnan Syed’s case has led the Maryland Court of Special Appeals reconsider the facts in lower court. In other words, the case has been remanded and there’s a glimmer of hope that Syed could be freed from his life sentence for the murder of Hae Min Lee. Koenig’s latest comments follow:

“The appeals court’s order does not mean Adnan will get a new trial. Nor does it mean that the circuit has to agree to hear Asia’s testimony. But with this order, the appeals court has certainly cracked open a door. And anytime a court opens a door to new testimony — new fact-finding — that’s a big deal for the appellee. In other words, good news for Adnan. It’s likely that once the Asia issue gets sorted out in circuit court, the Court of Special Appeals will take up the case again.”

Last, Koenig is going on tour with Serial producer-in-crime Julie Snyder to discuss all things Serial. More specifically, “using some of their favorite tape, they’ll tell personal behind-the-scenes stories, explain how they constructed certain episodes, and allow the audience to follow the ups and downs of creating a new form of modern journalism.” See tour dates and links to get tickets after the break. Continue reading ‘Serial’ podcast renewed for second and third seasons telling “two distinct new stories”

BBC renews ‘The Fall’ for third & final season; CBS holds onto three sitcoms

Quick updates here on the TV series renewal front. On Tuesday, the BBC made it official: Allan Cubitt’s addicting and binge-tastic drama The Fall will return for a third and final season.

“The cliff-hanger ending of season two was conceived in the hope of further exploring the characters and the themes that are at the heart of The Fall. We’re grateful to be given this opportunity by the BBC,” said creator-writer-director Cubitt in a statement.

At the end of season two (spoiler alert!), the game of cat and mouse between Gillian Anderson’s detective superintendent Stella Gibson and Jamie Dornan’s serial killer Paul Spector finally came to a gripping conclusion. That massive cliffhanger Cubitt’s referring to? In the final moments, Spector is shot and fights for consciousness in Gibson’s arms.

Will The Fall live on after a third season? According to BBC Drama controller Ben Stephenson, it doesn’t appear so. “The story is far from over. Allan has known the end game from the beginning – the cat and mouse game between Gillian and Jamie has one last act to play out. Who will win?,” he postulated (I added the emphasis there).

What can viewers expect to unfold when The Fall returns? The action continues in “Belfast as the complex relationship between Det Supt Stella Gibson and Paul Spector intensifies and the story of the investigation into the murders becomes more “complex and intricate”.” Read into that what you will. And as soon as the BBC announces its U.S. launch on Netflix, you’ll hear about it here. Watch a teaser after the break.

Elsewhere, CBS has renewed sitcoms MomMike & Molly, and 2 Broke Girls for a third, sixth, and fifth season, respectively. Continue reading BBC renews ‘The Fall’ for third & final season; CBS holds onto three sitcoms

FX renews ‘Married’ & ‘You’re the Worst’

Summer relationship comedies Married, starring Nat Faxon and Judy Greer, and You’re the Worst, with breakout stars Chris Geere and Ava Cash, will return next year with second seasons.

“We love these shows and the creative visions of Andrew Gurland of Married and Stephen Falk of You’re The Worst,” said Nick Grad, President of Original Programming at FX. “These shows are honest, 360-degree looks at relationships, and we’re excited to see how they evolve.”

So am I. Though bleak, Married unspools episodes that show an unapologetically real look at the ups and downs of a modern husband and wife relationship. You’re the Worst, IMHO, is the better of the two since it tends to have (much) more fun with its characters; it’s the best kind of wacky and at the end of the day it’s sweet and reliably funny.

Married will continue to air on FX and You’re the Worst will join It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League on sister network FXX.

Renewals: AMC’s ‘Halt And Catch Fire’, FX’s ‘The Strain’ & Showtime’s ‘Masters of Sex’

Let’s start with the unexpected. AMC has gone ahead and renewed freshman series Halt And Catch Fire for a second season. Despite middling ratings and buzz, the 80s period drama about the PC Revolution will return next year. Star Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies) provided the initial draw and after a slow build the show became fun summer fare with its knack for capturing the exciting, experimental era it’s set in. From the technological jargon to the music, HCF eventually found its creative streak and has me yearning to see more in a second season. Props to Pace’s costars Scoot McNairy, Mackenzie Davis, and Kerry Bishé for their emotionally grounded performances that made it easy to get invested.

“This is a show about invention, experimentation and the inherent risks in trying to break new ground — themes that really resonate with us as a network and attracted a passionate audience,” said AMC president Charlie Collier. “We have a history of demonstrating patience through the early seasons of new shows, betting on talent and building audience over time. We see that opportunity here and look forward to a second season of Halt and Catch Fire from creators Chris Cantwell and Chris Rogers, and showrunner Jonathan Lisco.”

Elsewhere, FX renewed Guillermo del Toro and Carlton Cuse’s vampire horror fest The Strain and Showtime is bringing back Masters of Sex and Ray Donovan for a third season. No surprise here, really. Though I’m not the loudest Strain supporter (I have issues with the writing and acting) it’s the type of summer fare that just makes sense. As for Masters of Sex, this is the show that just keeps on giving. This season’s bottle episode “Fight” might be the series best thus far featuring phenomenal performances by stars Martin Sheen and Lizzy Caplan.

“We’ve never had any doubts about The Strain,” said FX Networks head John Landgraf. “It is thrilling when you have a show that is a creative and commercial hit, which is a rare accomplishment in this increasingly crowded marketplace. We look forward having it on FX for as long as Carlton, Guillermo and Chuck Hogan need to tell this epic tale.” Added del Toro: “I am thrilled! Another season to spread the virus! Working with Carlton, Chuck and FX has been immensely rewarding and we have such sights to unveil in the upcoming episodes — the blood hits the fan on this one, mankind becomes an endangered species.” Added Cuse: “I am grateful for all the blood, sweat and tears (but mostly blood) given to the project by all involved, and I could not be more excited to continue telling this epic story.”

“Both Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex are quintessentially Showtime: bold, provocative, premium television with production values at the top of the food chain,” said Showtime president David Nevins. “These acclaimed shows are filled with complex and interesting characters and settings that will no doubt give audiences compelling television to invest in for seasons to come.”

HBO renews ‘The Leftovers’ for a second season

Who knew one could feel so ecstatic about such a depressing show!” I tweeted upon hearing the news of renewal. HBO’s The Leftovers, from Losts Damon Lindelof and Leftovers author Tom Perrotta, continues to depress and infuriate its viewers with gory, out of left field violence (read: the shocking death-by-stoning of GR member Gladys) and mystery perpetually left unresolved (Perrotta’s book never explains what happened to The Departed; will the show?). So far in its first season the series has managed to captivate with its unapologetic dreary outlook. It’s proven it can tell interesting character studies by using full episodes to further flesh out backstories (see: Rev. Matt Jamison and Nora Durst’s tales of faith and discovery). And then there’s our protagonist, the flawed, enigmatic Kevin Garvey, Jr. played expertly by Justin Theroux whose life eloquently weaves in and out of dreams always living on the edge of sanity. Garvey is the glue whose actions have repercussions not only on his depressing town but also on the main mystery that lights a fire under the series: where did everyone go and why? Whether or not Holy Wayne’s army of pregnant Asian women hold the key to “bridging” the gap between The Leftovers and The Departed, it’s too much fun despising the chain-smoking, white-clad Guilty Remnant and picking out the Lost-like clues Lindelof is leaving along the way. With just three episodes left this season, we are on the precipice of finding out if this show truly contains any answers or if it will continue to force viewers to journey into a bleak and hopeless unknown that is, at the same time, a supremely hypnotic and tantalizing place to be.

“We are thrilled to bring back The Leftovers for a second season with the exceptional talents of Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta,” HBO programming head Michael Lombardo said in a statement today. “It has been truly exciting to see the overwhelming response to their provocative and original storytelling. We look forward to continuing the journey as the show delves deeper into the lives of those who remain.”

The Leftovers airs Sunday nights at 10PM on HBO.

FX renews ‘Fargo’ & ‘Louie’

FX has renewed Fargo and Louie for a second and fifth season, respectively.

EP Noah Hawley took big risk adapting and twisting the Coen brother’s classic film for the small screen and it paid off. Fargo on FX, starring Martin Freeman and Billy Bob Thornton, proved to be a highly addicting, violent, and incredibly intriguing character study. Hawley thinks there’s more to explore in this inspired world he brought back to life and in its second season we will travel back in time to revisit Keith Carradine’s character Lou Solverson, albeit at a younger age. The 10-episode Fargo was always billed as an event series, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a new season will play out sort of like FX’s other series American Horror Story with new characters and an entirely new plot. Though Fargo season 2 will deviate from AHS in that it will take place in the world as its first season and will carry over familiar characters (played by different actors, of course). Lou will be much younger in 1979, and his daughter Molly (portrayed by the talented Allison Tolman in season 1) will be but four years old. In terms of plot, the new season will explore the “Sioux Falls” incident that Lou mentioned a couple times in the show’s first year. Expect more Fargo in 2015.

Moving on to Louie, the comedian produced (and directed and wrote and edited and starred in) arguably the best season of his dramedy this year. Standouts “Elevator” and “In the Woods” pushed the envelope in terms of pure creativity. FX head John Landgraf puts it nicely: “Louie’s fourth season was once again groundbreaking. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking — always thought provoking. The show went to narrative and cinematic places no comedy has gone before and we look forward to seeing what Louis comes up with next.” A 7-episode fifth season is expected to air in Spring 2015.

[Via TVLine 1, 2]

FX renews ‘The Americans’ for a third season, HBO picks up more ‘Veep’ & ‘Silicon Valley’

The Keri Russell/Matthew Rhys Cold War KGB spy drama The Americans will live to see a third season.

The Americans continues be one of the best shows on television,” said Eric Schrier, President of Original Programming for FX Networks. Executive Producers Joe Weisberg, Joel Fields and Graham Yost have done a wonderful job delivering two seasons, and the performances from Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys and Noah Emmerich are stellar. Fans will be blown away by the rest of this season, and we can’t wait to see what they come up with next year.”

Elsewhere, HBO picked up the award-wining Julia Louis-Dreyfus comedy Veep for a fourth season and Mike Judge’s new tech-infused sitcom Silicon Valley for a second season.

HBO renews ‘Game of Thrones’ for two more seasons, A&E picks up third season of ‘Bates Motel’

This week HBO renewed its hit fantasy series Game of Thrones for fifth and sixth seasons. A two-season pickup is nice, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. First, logistically, the sprawling drama is based on George R.R. Martin’s books which will span across seven thick novels when all is said and done; so there is much story that needs to be adapted for the small screen. Second, of course, is the show’s monster ratings. Last Sunday’s season 4 premiere drew in a record-breaking 6.6 million viewers making it the pay cabler’s most watched program since The Sopranos‘ series finale in 2007.

Game of Thrones is a phenomenon like no other,” said president of HBO Programming Michael Lombardo. “David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, along with their talented collaborators, continue to surpass themselves, and we look forward to more of their dazzling storytelling.”

Also renewed this week is A&E’s Psycho prequel series Bates Motel. The Freddy Highmore & Vera Farmiga show will return for a 10-episode third season in 2015. Season 2 is really starting to unravel Norman’s psychosis and another season of the thriller is going to bring viewers even closer to the serial killer we know he is destined to be.

“The incredible writing team and talented Bates Motel cast has made this series one of the most compelling original dramas on television,” said A&E EVP and GM David McKillop. “The brilliant twists and turns of the past two seasons keep its loyal fan base coming back for more. We are so proud of the show.”

Game of Thrones airs Sunday nights at 9PM on HBO and Bates Motel airs Mondays at 10PM on A&E.