‘Under the Dome’ season 2 official; CBS renews monster Stephen King hit

The only question that we have upon reading the following news is why on earth CBS did not announce it sooner? After several episodes of enormous ratings, especially for a summer show airing at 10:00 p.m. Eastern with not much of a lead-in, the network confirmed at TCA Monday that “Under the Dome” will be back for a second season.

In a statement, here is what Nina Tassler said both with the announcement of the show’s renewal, and also that the original novel’s author in Stephen King will write the season premiere next year:

“We’re excited to tell more stories about the mystery of the dome and the secrets in Chester’s Mill, and are thrilled to have the master storyteller himself, Stephen King, tell the first one of next season.”

The other big reveal here is that despite rumors of the show moving around into the season so that the network could capture more advertising data, they did the right thing and kept “Under the Dome” 13 episodes in the summer. It’s always better to give the people what they want, and if they love and want more of the show at this time next year, that’s where you better keep it. This feels perfect for a summer series in that there’s suspense, action, memorable characters, and there’s also nothing really like it on the schedule.

Now, the challenge for CBS is just finding some other good programming to pair with “Under the Dome” next year, or if they will follow their pattern like they do when they find something else that works in releasing some other dome-related shows. Be on the lookout next year for “Beneath the Cube,” “Stuck in a Sphere,” or the reality show “Really Under the Dome,” where contestants have to try and survive challenges based on the books where the eliminated contestants “drown” in the methane-infused lake.

Are you stoked about this news? We have a sneak peek for Monday’s “Under the Dome” episode, and you can check that out over at the link here.

Photo: CBS