Tag Archives: TV renewal

Netflix renews ‘Sense8’ for a second season

News, Television, ,

Calling all sensates! Netflix has renewed its sci-fi-tastic series Sense8. The highly innovative and admittedly addicting and adrenaline-pumping show about eight people inextricably linked by a special mental bond is coming back for a second season.

With Sense8, The Wachowskis brought to TV the awesome sci-fi and physical combat elements they are best known for (see: The Matrix Trilogy, Cloud Atlas, Jupiter Ascending). As fun as those genre elements can be, the filmmakers go above and beyond the expected in Sense8, which really plays out like 12 mini-movies. Each installment–and the series in general–manages to transcend its sci-fi mythology and focus on the even more intriguing and captivating thing going on all along; using a sci-fi lens, Sense8 prioritizes human connection and celebrates the human condition. The first season spans the globe, connecting and exploring the lives of complex characters you quickly come to care about. The season closes like the chapter of a book ends: wholly satisfying with sequel potential bursting at the seams. The initial run of episodes spends lots of time world-building and shaping the sensates. A second season is bound to dive deeper into the mostly unexplored mythos (Hello, Mr. Whispers) and bring together our favorite sensate cluster with a renewed sense of vigor and understanding.

A lacking pilot and pacing issues aside, I highly recommend you binge Sense8 if you haven’t already. It starts slow, but when it gets going (around episodes 3 and 4) there’s no stopping this freight train of pure, unadulterated fun.

To officially commemorate the renewal, Netflix posted this minute-long clip featuring the main cast spreading the good news.

AMC wants more Synth action, renews ‘Humans’; FX cans Billy Crystal’s ‘The Comedians’

News, Television, , , , , , ,

A satisfying renewal and a sour cancellation have taken place this summer. Good news first. AMC, and its international production partners Channel 4 and Kudos, has greenlit a second season of Humans. The show about people cohabitating with androids (or Synths) will return for an eight-episode second season next year.

“We’re so pleased to announce a second season of Humans,” AMC & Sundance TV original programming president Joel Stillerman said in a statement. “As one of the year’s top new cable series, Humans has been embraced by fans and critics across the U.S. and UK. We’re looking forward to continuing this very captivating story and further exploring the show’s parallel, Synth-filled world that hits so disturbingly close to home.”

It didn’t take long for Humans to strike a chord with viewers, myself included. The series takes place in a future that doesn’t seem like it’s that far away from now. How would your family react to an extremely life-like robot taking up space in your home? Humans works because it tells a tantalizingly grounded story that is inherently complex as it is relatable. It asks lofty questions about what it means to be alive and conscious, and it does with with a lineup of unabashedly good-looking Synths. Leading the pack is family servant Anita, played to perfection by Gemma Chan. Her robotic nature in tandem with her spurts of humanity lend to a captivating performance.

AMC airs the Humans first season finale this Sunday, Aug. 2 at 9pm.

Getting the axe is FX freshman comedy The Comedians starring veteran Billy Crystal and the rising Josh Gad. EP Ben Wexler made the news official in a tweet: “#TheComedians is cancelled at FX. I could not be more proud of the work we all did.”

I happened to enjoy watching Crystal and Gad play TV versions of themselves. Also, having worked in TV production, pretty much all of the scenes that took place in the production offices (including the writers’ room, the break room, etc.) were flat-out riots. In addition to being funny, The Comedians eventually slid into a particular groove of matching the laughs with heart. Crystal turned out to be a solid mentor for Gad, the young and in comparison inexperienced comic. If there’s anything to take away from the first and only season of this series, though, it’s that Stephanie Weir is a comedic force to be reckoned with, and she deserves more time in the spotlight. The Mad TV alum was featured in some outrageously funny sequences here, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

A&E renews ‘Bates Motel’ for two more seasons

News, Television, , , , , ,

Carlton Cuse’s vision for a five-season tale of watching Norman Bates become Psycho is right on track. Today A&E officially renewed its creeptastic drama Bates Motel for two more seasons. Upcoming seasons 4 and 5 will each consist of 10 episodes, no change there. Cuse, along with co-showrunner Kerry Ehrin, have shared with critics and fans that they’d hope to tell this finite story across (at least) five seasons, and now that the network is fully on board with that plan, viewers don’t have to worry one bit about full resolution (er, evolution) come the series finale.

“The vision of our incredible creative team has exposed the steady breakdown of the relationship between Norman and Norma Bates,” said Rob Sharenow, Executive Vice President and General Manager of A&E, in a statement. “We are thrilled to bring fans two more seasons to witness the next stages of Norman’s transformation into the most notorious psychopath in cinematic history.”

Elsewhere at A&E, Cuse’s other drama The Returned has been cancelled and will not be coming back for a second season. Though the premise intrigued in its dealings with loved ones returning from the dead, it did so without the finesse and grace of ABC’s ill-fated Resurrection; that show went on to see a second season and then fizzled out.

Big Four Networks decide fate of your favorite series in latest renewal/cancellation news (Updates inside)

News, Television, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Article originally published on 5/7/15. Continually updated after the break.

It is May, and the Upfronts are right around the corner. Before the networks make official their upcoming slate of fall shows, they must decide the fate of current series.

ABC made waves Thursday evening, announcing a whopping 16 renewals and 3 cancellations. Without further ado, the following series will be making their way back to the Alphabet network next season.

Shonda Rhimes’ “TGIT” lineup remains in tact, as Grey’s Anatomy (season 12), Scandal (s5), and How to Get Away with Murder (s2) will all return for more intense drama. Veteran Castle (s8) and ABC staples Once Upon A Time (s5) and Nashville (s4) are also coming back–no surprise there. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (s3) is here to stay as the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to unfold on TV; also, the TV gods thankfully heard our collective cries to keep Marvel’s Agent Carter on the air which will return for a second season! The low-rated, critically acclaimed American Crime is also getting a sophomore run, as is the surprisingly fun murder mystery series Secrets and Lies.

Over on the comedy side, veteran Modern Family (s7) remains the network’s crown jewel, and other Wednesday night sitcoms The Middle (s7) and The Goldbergs (s3), and black-ish (s2) will follow suit with new seasons next fall. Freshman series Fresh off the Boat and musical Galavant have also been greenlit to return. Though it hasn’t been made official quite yet, Tim Allen sitcom Last Man Standing is expected to make a fifth season. Update (5/10): LMS will return.

Last, the net’s alternative programs that have been renewed include American’s Funniest Home Videos (s26), The Bachelor (s20), Dancing with the Stars (s21), Shark Tank (s7), Beyond the Tank (s2), and newsmagazine 20/20.

Those series not returning include dramas Resurrection and Forever and Friday night sitcom Cristela. While the latter two failed to find broad audiences, the former simply couldn’t manage to sustain its dragged out premise involving dead people coming back to life (good luck, The Returned!). Fans will surely hold onto Resurrection‘s quietly superb 8-episode first season, and thankfully, the season 2 finale happened to bring much closure to the story.

As I teased before, this is just the beginning, people. Hold onto your hats because the Upfronts are coming next week!

Jump after the break for other renewal/cancellation news from the big networks. Continue reading Big Four Networks decide fate of your favorite series in latest renewal/cancellation news (Updates inside) →

Fox reportedly cancels ‘The Mindy Project’–will Hulu be its savior? [Update: Saved!]

News, Television, , , ,

UPDATE (5/15): Confirmed! Hulu has saved The Mindy Project with a season 4 order consisting of 26 episodes! That’s a lot of episodes–the series debuted with 24 episodes, followed by seasons with 22 and then 21 episodes aired. The streaming service has been the exclusive home to all previously aired Mindy Project episodes, so making this pickup with the show’s producer Universal TV wasn’t that much of a stretch.

“Mindy has been a beloved member of the Hulu family, so this deal is a natural extension of our relationship,” said Craig Erwich, Hulu’s SVP and Head of Content.

The real Mindy Kaling–who plays Dr. Mindy Lahiri in her show–also commented on the exciting news to break today. “I am thrilled The Mindy Project has found a new home on Hulu, where so many of our fans are already watching the show,” she said.

While season 4’s premiere date is still up in the air, you can now rest assured knowing that you’ll get to see Mindy have her baby with Danny by her side; how comforting is that?! Plus, according to Deadline, Hulu has the option to renew The Mindy Project for additional seasons after its original pack of installments debuts. Today is a good day.

PREVIOUS (5/7): Scrolling through my Twitter feed…checking out the Trending Topics… The Mindy Project is cancelled?!

Though Fox has yet to confirm it, reports are swirling that the network has axed the low-rated but universally lauded Mindy Kaling sitcom after three seasons. Though the show certainly went through some growing pains, The Mindy Project rather quickly found its creative groove delivering funny–and sometimes even downright touching–material on a consistent basis. Since the series had trouble holding its ground in the ratings, news of cancellation isn’t that shocking for the perpetually on-the-bubble romp. Still, for loyal fans it’s a really hard pill to swallow. Allow me to quell your ferociously building furor.

Industry sources, such as Deadline, say that the romantically-tinged trials and tribulations of Mindy Lahiri and Danny Castellano will continue even if/when Fox formally pulls the plug. Universal Television, the studio that produces The Mindy Project, is apparently negotiating with Internet streamer Hulu to keep the series alive for at least an additional two more seasons. Hulu already works with Uni TV to stream previous seasons of Kaling’s comedy, so a deal to help manufacture new episodes with the studio isn’t completely farfetched. Fingers crossed; more to come soon, I’m sure.

Click here for other renewal/cancellation news from the big networks.

[Via Deadline]

HBO renews ‘Veep’ & ‘Silicon Valley’, ‘Game of Thrones’ attracts record ratings

News, Television, , , , , ,

Not even 24 hours passed after HBO aired the season premieres of Veep and Silicon Valley and yet the premium cable network announced pickups for two of its most high-profile comedies. The Julia Louis-Dreyfus vehicle and Mike Judge’s take on the tech world will return for a fifth and third season, respectively.

“Veep and Silicon Valley are terrific series, and I’m immensely proud that they will return to HBO next year,” HBO head Michael Lombardo said in a statement. “Along with Game of Thrones and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, both of which have already been renewed for 2016, they give HBO a stellar Sunday night like no other.”

When Veep returns next year, it will do so with its creator and showrunner on board. Armando Iannucci confirmed his exit from the show following the season currently being aired.

“‘Veep’ returns Sunday, HBO10.30pm.Our best season yet.Time for me to quit airports. I’m leaving on a high and kissing goodbye to jet-lag,” Iannucci tweeted on April 10.

The unfortunate departure is an amicable one, and the series will go on with new showrunner David Mandel. Per HBO:

“We have had conversations with Armando for some time about the challenges of maintaining his family life in
London and producing a show in the states. Armando is not replaceable, but we are confident that Veep will continue to be produced at the highest levels with new showrunner David Mandel.”

Mandel previously worked with Louis-Dreyfus on Seinfeld (where he was a writer), and again on Curb Your Enthusiasm (where he served as executive producer) along with Seinfeld creator Larry David. Like the network said, it’d be near impossible to replace Ianucci’s signature charm, but if anyone can try his shoes on for size, it sounds like Mandel is the guy to do it.

Moving on to Thrones, HBO had previously renewed the fantasy drama for a fifth and sixth season last April. New we can report today is that the season 5 premiere, which aired this past Sunday, attracted the series’ largest audience to date: a grand total of about 8 million people, according to Variety. “The Wars to Come” garnered about 800,000 more viewers than any other episode that came before it.

[Via THR; Variety]

Bye bye bubble: FOX renews ‘Sleepy Hollow’ for a third season

News, Television, , ,

We’ve known since January that Sleepy Hollow‘s fate was very much up in the air due to a significant drop in ratings and a lackluster creative direction. Despite all that, Sleepyheads, I’ve got some good news for you. FOX’s supernatural drama will return for an 18-episode third season.

When SH comes back, it will be steered by a new showrunner. Mark Goffman, who led the brilliantly fun first season and the decidedly meandering second season, is out and Clifton Campbell (creator of The Glades and co-EP of White Collar) is in.

“I had the pleasure of working with Clifton on both The Glades and White Collar,” said Fox TV Studios president David Madden in a statement. “He is an excellent producer, and we can’t wait to see what this team has in store for Season 3.”

Previously, network head Dana Walden said, “We’re excited about some creative changes on the show and bringing it back to something that feels a little more episodic in nature, that has closure and doesn’t feel quite so serialized.” Fox anticipates “return[ing] the fun to it” that was abundant in season one.

In an interview with TVLine, actor John Noble (who portrayed the villainous Henry Parish) provided proof that things behind the scenes at Sleepy Hollow over the course of its second season were shaky at best. “They didn’t have a clue what to do, and so that meant it was a pretty unsatisfactory year for me,” he said. Noble went on to say that he and co-star Tom Mison “were hoping to have more scenes together, because that’s when it was really interesting, when Tom and I had the shots to bounce off each other. He loved it, and I did, too. And that just didn’t happen.” He concluded, “Obviously, a lot of thought has gone into what to do with Sleepy Hollow. And if this network is investing in another 18 episodes, then they must have had very strong reassurances that there is a major reboot. I’ll be fascinated to see what the reboot is.”

The third season ended (spoiler alert) with Noble’s Henry Parish and Ichabod Crane’s wife Katrina perishing at the hands of Ichabbie (that’s a combination of Ichabod Crane and Abbie Mills’ names, for all you non-shippers out there). With Parish’s wacky “evil of the week” tricks gone and the sadly underutilized likes of witch Katrina put to rest, a third season should deliver a reboot of sorts as Ichabbie continues to defend Sleepy Hollow from the forces of evil. As an outspoken fan of Tom Mison and Nicole Beharie’s undeniable chemistry, I’m excited that more SH adventures are on the way with a new showrunner at the helm and a clean creative canvas.

[Via TVLine]

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

News, Television, , , , , , , , ,

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 Mom, Mike & 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 →

FXX renews ‘Man Seeking Woman’ for a second season

News, Television, , ,

Man Seeking Woman, FXX’s bizarre relationship comedy from Simon Rich and starring Jay Baruchel and Eric André, will return for a 10-episode second season in 2016. The series, based on Rich’s book of short stories The Last Girlfriend On Earth, is an absurd and hilarious look at the life-and-death stakes of dating. In a recent episode, Baruchel’s Josh Greenberg dates the luminous Minka Kelly only to be cockblocked by a Japanese penis monster named Tanaka. It’s different and weird and best of all it works. If you’re a single 20-something trying to find love in the big city, you may be surprised at how relatable this fantastical show can be.

“Simon Rich has delivered an incredibly smart and original take on the search for love,” said FX exec Nick Grad in a statement. “Critics and fans alike have embraced his unique storytelling, [EP] Jon Krisel’s stunning visuals and the brilliant performances of Jay Baruchel, Eric André and the rest of the cast that has made Man Seeking Woman one of the best new comedies on television.”

“Working on Man Seeking Woman has been the creative highlight of my life,” added Rich. “FXX gave us the freedom to make the show we love and they let us build some truly disgusting monsters. I’m so grateful to [FX Networks CEO] John Landgraf and his team for believing in us and I can’t wait to get back to work.”

Man Seeking Working airs Wednesdays at 10:30pm on FXX.

NBC renews five dramas for next season

News, Television, , , , , , ,

You can file this under no surprises here: the Peacock network has gifted five of its well-performing dramas another season each. James Spader vehicle The Blacklist, Dick Wolf’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D., and Friday night genre staple Grimm will all be back next TV season. Other NBC dramas such as State of Affairs with Katherine Heigl, The Mysteries of Laura with Debra Messing, and other Friday genre fare Constantine remain in contention for next season.

“The creative vision of the executive producers who’ve guided these outstanding dramas has been nothing short of incredible,” said NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke in a statement. “We’re highly appreciative of the passion they bring to their shows at every step of the creative process and we’re thrilled to reward that dedication with these renewals.”

HBO renews ‘Togetherness’ for a second season

News, Television, , ,

Mumblecore heroes Jay & Mark Duplass have more than sufficiently entertained viewers with their new series Togetherness, so much so that HBO has renewed it for a second season after airing only two episodes.

“We began our love affair with HBO in our parents’ living room in 1983, and to have these brilliant creative people put a ring on our fingers with a second season of Togetherness is a real-life dream come true,” said the brothers Duplass upon hearing the great news.

Mark, along with ensemble cast members Melanie Lynskey, Amanda Peet and Steve Zissis, have constructed a show that is inherently funny, fascinatingly introspective, and most of all, fun. A husband and wife with kids, his best friend and her sister living under one roof in Los Angeles just trying to make their way and find meaning in their lives–even after just two airings Togetherness manages to captivate with its unapologetic realism and strife. Plus, Zissis is a breakout star whose fame is long overdue (see previous Duplass works Baghead, The Do-Deca-Pentathlon).

Togetherness airs Sundays at 10:30pm on HBO.

FOX renews ‘Gotham,’ ‘Empire’ & ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine,’ discusses futures of ‘X-Files,’ ’24’ & ‘Prison Break’ (!)

News, Television, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Days after renewing animated sitcom Bob’s Burgers for a sixth season, FOX is expanding its security blanket over three more of its series. Freshman Gotham and Empire, as well as sophomore sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine, will be back next fall to unspool new episodes. And this renewal news shouldn’t really come as any sort of surprise: the Batman origin story and the hip hop soap opera both performed well out of the gate with popular pilots; in fact, Empire‘s ratings went up in its second week which these days is a rare feat indeed. As for the Andy Samberg laugher, that series is comfortably enjoying its new digs on Sunday nights stuffed between The Simpsons and Family Guy.

What about the fates of other FOX shows such as Bones and Sleepy Hollow? “We are in conversations on both,” FOX studio and network head Dana Walden told reporters at the Television Critics Association’s Winter Press Tour this week. “We’re at the end of our deal on Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz. We’re very hopeful Bones will return. We can’t announce it today because deals aren’t closed, [but] nothing will make us happier.”

As for Sleepy Hollow, Walden said the network is “going to wait a little bit longer” to renew it as creative calibrations are made behind-the-scenes. “We’re excited about some creative changes on the show and bringing it back to something that feels a little more episodic in nature, that has closure and doesn’t feel quite so serialized,” said Walden. In sum, the network would like the series to take the serialization down a couple pegs and “return the fun to it” that was rampant in season 1. That being said, worry not, Sleepy heads–Fox brass holds the show in a special place in their hearts and wants to see it grow. “We really love the show,” she added. “We love Tom Mison and Nicole Beharie. They have fantastic chemistry. We feel like it’s a really unique series.”

And now for the juicy stuff. Walden and network/studio co-head Gary Newman shed a glimmer of light on the futures of classic FOX series like The X-Files, 24, and yes, even Prison Break. For more, jump after the break. Continue reading FOX renews ‘Gotham,’ ‘Empire’ & ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine,’ discusses futures of ‘X-Files,’ ’24’ & ‘Prison Break’ (!) →