‘Bates Motel’ renewed for seasons 4 and 5, ‘The Returned’ canceled by A&E

Well, we suppose that what we have for you today is definitely a case of good news and bad news when it comes to some scripted shows over on A&E. We begin, though, with the positive: “Bates Motel” has been given a renewal for two more seasons! While nobody has said for sure that season 5 of the show (the last on the renewal) will mark the end of the series’ run, we feel like 50 episodes would be a natural end for this story. You really don’t want to see the story of Norman Bates drag, and he has already reached a point where his true self is very much clear.

In a statement confirming this news, the network’s Executive Vice President / General Manager Rob Sharenow had the following to say:

“The vision of our incredible creative team has exposed the steady breakdown of the relationship between Norman and Norma Bates … 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.”

In other news, the network has canceled drama “The Returned” after only one season … not that this is much of a surprise. The ratings weren’t great, and unless you are “Bates Motel,” A&E has not exactly been that supportive of their scripted shows as of late. Remember “The Glades,” “Longmire,” or “Those Who Kill”? All of those were recently canceled, and it is not like this is a network with a huge roster of scripted shows. We’re still surprised that they picked up “Unforgettable,” which was canceled previously by CBS.

Let us know below your reaction to some of this news.