The Exorcist season 2 renewal: why it’s not a surprise
Consider this great news for horror fans looking for more of a mainstream presence on TV: The Exorcist season 2 is official! Fox confirmed the news on Friday, capping off what many are referring to as a surprise announcement.
Here’s the funny truth: It’s not that much of a surprise at all. Why? Just think in terms of some of the metrics for the network. Fox’s ratings were a dumpster fire for much of the year other than Empire and one of their new shows in Lethal Weapon; many of their returning shows crashed, and several new shows failed to get an audience. Pitch, Sleepy Hollow, Rosewood, and APB are among the most notable cancellations, and then Scream Queens will probably be added to that list soon. Bones is over, and 24: Legacy is on the bubble and could go either way. That’s a lot of programming to make up for, and with American Idol going to ABC over Fox, that’s even more hours that the network has to figure out.
In circling back to the idea of this as a surprise, remember this: The Exoricst aired on Friday nights, a time when there are lower expectations. It also is perfect counter-programming for almost everything else on TV, given that other than Outcast over on Cinemax, there is not much else out there quite like it. Given that it airs around Halloween, there are always opportunities to tell a story that can appeal to new viewers.
One more thing: This is a franchise name, and one of the big trends this season is networks opting to keep shows via the names attached to them for international sales / further viability. Look at what’s going on with Taken getting a larger than expected renewal over at NBC, or ABC keeping a show like Agents of SHIELD around knowing that the Marvel Cinematic Universe adds so much more substance to the show.
To all fans of The Exorcist, congratulations. The passion paid off, and there will be another ten episodes at least airing this fall pending some surprise announcement.
Thrilled for the new announcement? Be sure to share some of your thoughts on the subject in the comments below.