NBC announced today that The Blacklist has been picked up for a seventh season. Word is that Season 7 was already secured last May when the crime drama was renewed for Season 6, though nothing was said at the time. Currently sitting at an impressive 121 total episodes, the show could surpass the 150 mark if next season follows suit with another full 22 episodes.
Led by James Spader, the series premiered in 2013 as one of the top new shows of that year. While its best days have long-since passed, the show still draws a decent audience in its new Friday night time slot. This season marks its first as a mid-season player, with a January premiere rather than its typical fall start. The network will likely keep it in the mid-season for 2019-2020.
The Blacklist stars Spader as an ex-government agent-turned-FBI's most wanted fugitive, who mysteriously surrenders himself to the agency with an offer to help them bring down some of the country's top criminals. The only condition is that he gets to work alongside an FBI profiler named Elizabeth Keen, which leads to a twisting series of events that slowly reveal his true motives.
Word is out today that Arrow will be coming to an end after its upcoming eighth season. The action drama is the network's longest-running superhero-based series, with its success helping pave the way for the likes of The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow.
Star Stephen Amell took to Twitter with the news, which does not come as a complete surprise given the show’s age. Once a flagship of The CW, Arrow's ratings have tapered off over the years. But at over 150 episodes, that is to be expected. And yet, it still draws decent numbers for the network compared to its other prime time entries. Yearly crossover episodes with fellow DC series also help boost its viewership.
USA Network announced today that The Sinner has been picked up for a third season. Originally billed as a limited series, the Bill Pullman-starring drama has turned out to be a big hit for the cable network, with each season focusing on an all-new crime.
The Sinner premiered in 2017 and immediately made its mark both critically and in the ratings. The show ended up ranking as the top new cable series of the year, paving the way for more installments to come.
Season 1 starred Jessica Biel as a young mother who commits a shocking act of violence for no apparent reason. Investigator Harry Ambrose, played by Pullman, becomes obsessed with uncovering the woman's buried motive, and the two end up on a harrowing journey into her troubled past.
Season 2 brought back Pullman's character on a new "why-dunnit" murder case, where he returns to his hometown after a young boy kills a couple who were looking after him.
Today's Season 3 announcement confirmed that Matt Bomer will be joining the series as an upstanding Dorchester resident and father-to-be who seeks support in the wake of an accident. All we know about the main story line at this point is that Detective Ambrose uncovers a hidden crime during a routine investigation that sets him on the most dangerous case of his career.
NBC announced today that Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been picked up for a seventh season. The good news marks the first renewal of the cop comedy at the peacock network since being revived from cancellation last year.
The half-hour series is currently seven episodes into its 18-episode sixth season, and so far things are looking good. Ratings to this point have been solid in its Thursday night time slot, and critical consensus is that the show hasn't missed a beat comedically since its return.
Led by Saturday Night Live alum Andy Samberg, Brooklyn Nine-Nine follows an offbeat group of detectives and staff at the 99th precinct of the New York Police Department. Samberg plays the eclectic Jake Peralta, a talented but immature detective whose carefree style clashes with his stern, by-the-books captain, played by Andre Braugher.
Look for Season 7 of Brooklyn Nine-Nine during the 2019-2020 season.
CBS announced today that Star Trek: Discovery has been picked up for a third season. The good news comes in the midst of the sci-fi drama's sophomore run, which has continued to garner critical praise as a worthy addition to the storied franchise on which it is based.
The big-budget production seems to have found its footing after a bit of a rocky beginning. First announced in 2015, it took two years for the series to make its much-anticipated debut in late 2017 due to multiple delays as well as a showrunner change during that time. While things are running smoother now, today's announcement also included news that a second showrunner is being added for Season 3. Executive Producer Michelle Paradise is joining Alex Kurtzman at the helm going forward.
Taking place 10 years before the events of the original Star Trek series, Star Trek: Discovery follows a brand new crew on a new ship as they take on missions to discover new worlds and lifeforms during the Federation-Klingon war.
Look for Season 3 to premiere sometime in 2020.
NBC announced today that Chicago Fire has been renewed for an eighth season. The original entry in the Chicago franchise will return for the 2019-2020 season along with spin-offs Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med - both also picked up today for the fall.
On the air since 2012, Chicago Fire is the network's second-longest-running drama currently on the air. Its success paved the way for three spin-offs over the years, and while 2017's Chicago Justice only lasted one season, the remaining trio remains strong. In fact, the three shows together are currently enjoying their most-watched season ever.
Chicago Fire follows the courageous men and women at Firehouse 51, home to noble firefighters and paramedics who look fear in the eye and forge headfirst into dangerous situations in order to help those in need. The series recently surpassed the 150-episode mark.
Look for Season 8 of Chicago Fire this fall.
CBS announced a two-season renewal for Young Sheldon today - the first of its kind for the comedy - that will see it on the air through Season 4. The Chuck Lorre-created spin-off has been one of the network's top comedies over the course of its run.
Premiering in 2017, the show was quick to find an audience thanks to it being based on the early life of popular Big Bang Theory character Sheldon Cooper. With The Big Bang Theory set to end this year, Young Sheldon could become TV's most-watched comedy and in all probability will take over its predecessor's time slot going forward.
Young Sheldon follows a 9-year-old Sheldon Cooper growing up in East Texas. At a young age, his advanced mathematical and scientific mind isn't necessarily helpful when living in a town where football and church get all the attention. Vulnerable, gifted and naive, Sheldon is embarking on his awkward journey toward the man he will become.
Amazon announced today that The Man in the High Castle will be concluding its story with its already-announced fourth season. Since its premiere in 2015, the alternate history drama has been one of the streaming services most popular and critically-acclaimed original series.
Loosely-based on the 1962 Philip K. Dick novel of the same name, The Man in the High Castle takes place in a dystopian alternate history where the United States has lost World War II and is now partitioned into three zones: a Japanese-occupied west coast, a Nazi-controlled east coast, and a neutral buffer zone that separates the two.
Look for the fourth and final season of The Man in the High Castle this fall.
It's the end of the Marvel era at Netflix. The streaming service today cancelled both Jessica Jones and The Punisher, the two remaining series in its superhero lineup based on the comic giant's work. The move was somewhat expected after Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist were all given the ax late last year.
Jessica Jones follows a troubled former superhero rebuilding her life by starting her own detective agency in New York City's Hell's Kitchen. The series premiered in 2015 as the second Marvel superhero series on the streaming service.
Following in Daredevil's footsteps, the show garnered widespread praise from both critics and audiences for its gritty storytelling and portrayal of the flawed antihero. It took over two years for Season 2 to premiere, and while overall feedback was still positive, the consensus was that it took a step back from its freshman run.
Jessica Jones was picked up for Season 3 last April and filming has already completed. Netflix still plans to release the third and final season of the show, though a premiere date has not been set.
Syfy announced today that Van Helsing has been picked up for a fifth and final season. The news, which comes three days ahead of its fourth-season finale, ensures that showrunners will have plenty of time to craft a fitting end to the saga on their own terms.
Van Helsing is a re-imagining of the perennial Dracula brand that follows the resurrection of Vanessa Helsing, a descendent of the legendary Van Helsing lineage of warriors, and her quest to lead mankind against a world controlled by vampires in the post-Rising landscape.
The cable network has ordered another 13 episodes for the show's final run, matching the length of each of its other seasons. Look for a premiere in the fall of 2020.
