‘Halt and Catch Fire’ season 2 finale ratings do little to improve season 3 chances

While we personally would be a big advocate for getting to see more of “Halt and Catch Fire” on AMC, we worry already that this is going to be just another Lee Pace show destined to go off of the air after a pair of seasons.

The ratings have come in now for the season 2 finale on Sunday night, and with less than 500,000 viewers, it is far from impressive. Deadline reports that with 485,000 viewers watching, this is at least 30,000+ more than the all-time low for the series. Still, it is a drop from the season 2 premiere and the season 1 finale, even in spite of the fact that this is a very good show and it improved creatively in the second season.

While a season 3 is still possible given that the finale set up a great premise, it also wrapped up enough of the story that we cannot imagine anyone would be too brokenhearted over it being the series finale. We have to be somewhat realistic here, and the truth is that with these numbers, getting a renewal from AMC is really the only hope. The other problem here is that this show is not timed in a good spot for awards consideration, which is one of the things that could help its viewership. For example, season 2 will not be eligible for the Emmys until next summer, and even the Golden Globes will likely be more enamored with stuff on in the fall.

We’re not going to give up the good fight just yet, mostly because “Halt and Catch Fire” is a show worth saving. We just have to be prepared for the worst.