History announced this week that Knightfall has been renewed for a second season. The freshman series, which premiered last December, is one of two original dramas currently in the cable network's lineup.
The show's 10-episode debut run drew a solid audience, reaching 25 million total viewers (Live+7), ranking it as the season's #3 new cable drama among total viewers. While overall reviews were mixed, it did pick up a Saturn Award nomination in the category of Best Fantasy Television Series.
Knightfall follows the Knights Templar - a powerful and mysterious military order of the Middle Ages entrusted to protect Christianity's precious relics. Taking place years after the fall of the city of Acre, the last stronghold in the Holy Land, a clue emerges suggesting the whereabouts of the lost Holy Grail. This sends the Templars on a dangerous mission to find the lost Cup of Christ.
Joining the cast for Season 2 will be Mark Hamill, who is set to play a battle-hardened Knight Templar veteran of the Crusades tasked to train the new initiates to the Order. A new showrunner, Aaron Helbing, has also come aboard as an executive producer.
It is being reported that USA Network has cancelled Shooterafter three seasons. The Ryan Phillippe drama, currently airing new episodes on Thursday nights, will air its series finale on September 13.
It has been an interesting, but not unsuccessful, run for the series, which faced its share of setbacks over the course of its time on the air. Issues first arose even before its debut episode, originally scheduled for the summer of 2016, when tragic real-life shootings delayed its summer release plans twice, resulting in an eventual fall premiere. Then in its second season, Phillippe broke his leg in an off-set mishap in the midst of production, resulting in the season being capped at eight episodes rather than its original order of 10.
The show proved that it could weather adversity, though, as it went on to become the cable network's top new series in 2016. Its solid performance continued with another solid run in Season 2, resulting in a 13-episode order for Season 3, making it the show's longest season yet. Its momentum could not be sustained, however, with ratings taking a substantial hit this time around. That resulted in it becoming USA's lowest-rated drama in the 18-49 demographic, making a Season 4 impossible.
Based on novels by Stephen Hunter and the 2007 film of the same name, Shooter follows the life of Bob Lee Swagger, an expert marksman trained in counter intelligence who is now living in exile. After learning of a plot to kill the president, the highly-decorated sniper re-emerges for duty, only to learn he has been double-crossed in an operation that has ties to his past.
Hulu announced today that Castle Rock has been picked up for a second season. The good news comes midway through the show's freshman run, which premiered last month with new episodes currently streaming every Wednesday.
The psychological horror drama is the latest original series in the streamer's lineup and has been faring well since its launch. Critics have praised its storytelling and well-rounded cast, and Hulu says that the show's July 25 debut ranks as its most-consumed original premiere ever.
Based on various characters and settings from Stephen King's novels, Castle Rock combines the mythological scale and intimate character storytelling of the author's works, weaving together a saga of light and darkness that plays out in the Maine town of Castle Rock. Being an anthology, each season of the show will be a self-contained story.
FX confirmed today that Fargo will be returning for a fourth season. And while fans of the critically-acclaimed drama will surely be happy with the news of its return, they may not be too happy with the wait involved until it comes back.
The cable network has given a fall 2019 time frame for when production will likely begin, which means a 2020 premiere is probable. Season 3 aired last spring, so that will be at least three years in between seasons.
Some new information on Season 4 has been unveiled, the biggest of which is that Chris Rock has been cast in a lead role as the head of a crime family. The setting will be Kansas City, Missouri in the year 1950, as two families - Italians migrating from Italy and African Americans fleeing the south - collide, with each fighting for a piece of the American dream.
FX has confirmed that a tenth season has been ordered for American Horror Story. The pickup is an early one, as the anthology series - already renewed through Season 9 - has yet to return for Season 8.
Co-created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, the veteran series continues to captivate audiences, though some installments have been met with decidedly mixed reviews. Still, the franchise remains one of the cable network's top performers and is usually in the conversation come awards season.
Production is currently underway on Season 8 of American Horror Story, which is slated to premiere on September 12. Titled Apocalypse, the upcoming season will feature a crossover of past installments Murder House and Coven.
The show is expected to keep its one-season-per-year schedule going forward, with Season 9 expected in 2019 and Season 10 in 2020.
Just over a month after NBC broke the hearts of #Clockblockers by cancelling Timeless for a second time, it has been confirmed that the show will indeed be returning for a two-part series finale.
The news will surely delight fans of the time travel drama, who were left hanging after a major cliffhanger at the end of its sophomore run. At the time of its cancellation, there were rumors of a possible return to properly wrap up its story but the likelihood of it actually happening was unknown.
Timeless premiered in 2016 with a good amount of momentum behind it. Created by two veteran producers, the series was given a high profile time slot on Monday nights along with heavy promotion. While it was well-received by critics, a solid start in the ratings was not long-lasting, and the show was cancelled for the first time at the end of its freshman run.
NBC eventually had a change of heart and decided to bring the show back for a second season, but its sophomore numbers only further declined. It wasn't much of a surprise when the network cancelled the show once again, but fans were nonetheless upset. And while a third season will not be happening, this two-part finale will provide at least a sense of closure.
Look for the Timeless series finale to air sometime during the holiday season.
AMC announced today that Fear the Walking Dead has been renewed for a fifth season. The early pickup comes in the midst of Season 4, which is due to return for the second-half of its run on August 12.
The zombie drama, which began as a companion series to The Walking Dead, has continued to be a solid performer for the cable network. While its current viewership numbers aren't what they were in its earlier days, more overall viewers have been tuning into its fourth-season compared to the same point in Season 3.
The series underwent some significant changes for Season 4, staring with bringing in a new showrunner duo who have changed its overall tone and storytelling style. Gone are most of the original cast, with many newcomers now taking the lead. The first crossover with The Walking Dead has also taken place, with Morgan joining as a series regular.
Look for Season 5 of Fear the Walking Dead in 2019.
Amazon Studios confirmed today that Sneaky Pete has been renewed for a third season. The good news was delivered at this summer's TCA, with the streaming giant announcing that production on the upcoming season will be kicking off next week.
It was more or less already understood that the drama would be returning for a third season, when a few months ago it was announced that its production would be moving from New York to California due to a tax credit approval it received on the west coast.
Co-created by Bryan Cranston, Sneaky Pete stars Giovanni Ribisi as a con man who is on the run from a dangerous gangster. Recently released from jail, he assumes the identity of his prison cellmate and reunites with the man's family in order to stay hidden from his past.
Look for Season 3 of Sneaky Pete in 2019.
Netflix announced today that Altered Carbon has been renewed for a second season. The good news comes nearly six months after the release of its 10-episode freshman run, which garnered a generally positive reception for both audiences and critics.
Based on novels by Richard K. Morgan, the science fiction drama takes place hundreds of years in the future, in a society that has been transformed by technology in completely new ways. Human bodies are interchangeable and consciousness can be digitized and transferred from body to body, making death a temporary inconvenience.
Takeshi Kovacs, played by Joel Kinnaman in Season 1, is the lone surviving soldier in a group of elite interstellar warriors who were defeated in an uprising against the new world order. His mind was imprisoned for centuries until an immensely-wealthy and long-lived man offers him the chance to live again.
For Season 2, Anthony Mackie has already been cast to take over the lead role of Takeshi Kovacs from Kinnaman. Because of the nature of the source material, which follows Takeshi's journey across hundreds of years and in many different bodies, the re-casting was somewhat expected.
The streaming giant has ordered eight episodes for Season 2 of Altered Carbon, which is down from the 10 it received in Season 1. Look for a return in 2019.
Just four episodes into its freshman run, Paramount Network has announced that Yellowstone has been picked up for a second season. The good news reflects a solid start to the new drama, which become the cable network's most-watched original scripted series after averaging 2.8 million viewers (live+same day) for its 2-hour premiere.
Yellowstone follows the Dutton family, who are owners of a Montana ranch that is the largest of its kind in America. Led by patriarch John, the Duttons constantly contend with attacks from land developers, conflicts with the country's first national park, and tense encounters with a neighboring Indian reservation. But through it all, they relentlessly fight to keep their land in the family.
10 episodes have been ordered for Season 2 of Yellowstone, which will return in 2019.
