‘Longmire’ renewed for season 3 by A&E

In today’s edition of “news you saw coming,” A&E has renewed their most-watched scripted show in “Longmire” for another season. What we are a little more curious about is why in the world it took them this long. Were they too busy watching “Duck Dynasty” repeats? This seemed to be a no-brainer, but the show has been off of the air for many months now. The only thing that we can think of is they wanted to give some distance between renewing this show and their surprising move to cancel their other summer show in “The Glades.”

Nonetheless, it was today that the network issued their statement making it clear that a third season of 10 episodes will air next year. Here is what David McKillop, General Manager and Executive Vice-President at the network, had to say about the move:

“’Longmire’ has become one of the most compelling dramas on television with a devoted audience and we are so proud of the show. We are thrilled to continue our wonderful partnership with Warner Horizon Television, the production team, and the talented cast and crew led by the exceptional Robert Taylor.”

Does this later-than-expected renewal mean that the show is not on as steady of ground as some may believe that it is? What we can say about the show is that it does have a weakness when it comes to younger viewers, which is what most cable networks care about there days. For now, we’re going to try to not read too much into the timing of the renewal at all; after all, this show could be an even bigger hit if the network can find a suitable companion for it that helps its own ratings and drums up buzz for both shows. That is something in particular that “Longmire” has lacked: Getting people who don’t tune in to A&E often to understand that the show is on the air, and brings something to the table that they may be interested in.

One final thing about timing here: The show was pretty much all but confirmed to be coming back in August, so we’re still trying to figure out the reason for the three-month wait before issuing the statement.

What do you think about both the renewal, and the timing of it? Share some of your thoughts below!