The Gifted season 3 renewal: Is there a chance for more on Fox?
For even more on the future of The Gifted, we also have a video deep-dive into the future of the series below! On the other side of watching it, subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube to get some other updates.
Unfortunately, we do have to start this article with some pessimism — that last thing we’d ever do to you here is serve up a big ol’ platter of false hope. The show has a slim chance of coming back for more episodes. The door may be open for more following the events of tonight’s finale (especially if there’s a big cliffhanger or unresolved storylines), but Disney’s in the midst of a sea change, and that could involve shaking up the entire X-Men universe as we’ve come to it. Think about it — Legion is ending with season 3 (which really stings since its easily our favorite super hero show!), the future of the movie franchise after Dark Phoenix is unclear, and there’s a chance for them to create a totally new world of characters and stories that they can integrate within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Every single X-Men property at Fox (yes, including Deadpool, a situation that Deadpool himself would probably mock) is at risk of a shakeup.
Just on the basis of this alone, fans of The Gifted should be worried … and that’s before even getting into its ratings. Season 2 is averaging a 0.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic and under 2 million live viewers weekly. Maybe that would get you a renewal on The CW (provided the show had a smaller budget), but it’s certainly not going to get you one on Fox, which has higher expectations mixed in with limited timeslots.
As we explained earlier in our Lethal Weapon renewal-odds piece, Fox is losing Thursdays this fall to the NFL (a trend started last year) and Fridays to the WWE. Meanwhile, it seems like their Sundays are locked-in with animation and that their Wednesdays are set between STAR, Empire, and The Masked Singer — there’s maybe one hour of programming there at midseason and that’s it. There’s maybe a little room for experimentation on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays in the winter/spring, but we expect them being more eager to keep Lethal Weapon, The Resident, 9-1-1, The Orville, and The Passage around than continue along with this show. They also have to make room for Last Man Standing and The Cool Kids, which will be moving from Fridays to a new timeslot starting this fall.
Cherish the finale and think about what could’ve been — that may be all you have when it comes to the series’ future. Fox has until May to confirm its fate, but we wouldn’t be particularly spellbound if they announced something before then so that this particular cast and crew have a chance to move on. We’re in the thick of pilot casting season right now — even if the cast can’t join a new show right away, they could leap on recastings or a summer addition if the opportunity presents itself.
What do you think are the chances of The Gifted season 3 happening at Fox, or really anywhere? (Alas, we don’t see another network swooping in to save it.) Share below! (Photo: Fox.)