‘UnREAL’ season 2 official; Lifetime thankfully renews Shiri Appleby series

We have admittedly spent much of the past couple of weeks concerned very much over the fate of “UnREAL.” This is a smart, addictive take on reality television, but also one that seemed to struggle at times in the ratings. To be fair, though, the first four episodes were available in advance on Lifetime.

Maybe there is something in their raw data that Lifetime saw that they liked, or maybe they are just impressed by all of the critical acclaim. Either way, clearly “UnREAL” did just enough to be handed a second season by Lifetime, and there is much rejoicing as a result of that. In a statement, the network’s executive vice president and head of programming Liz Gateley had the following to say:

“We couldn’t be more proud to bring back UnReal. With authentically flawed characters, sharp storytelling and impeccable performances, this show is propelling our brand in a truly exciting direction – an unexpected and bolder Lifetime.  We are thrilled to continue our work with [EPs] Marti [Noxon] and Sarah [Gertrude Shapiro] and the incredible A+E Studios team, as we together bring a new generation of viewers to Lifetime.”

Now that we know this news, what we are left to wonder somewhat is where in the world this series ends up going from here. Is there a way to deliver a version of “Everlasting” with a Bachelorette, or are you going to try another leading man? What about a completely different show altogether? It seems hard to bring back the majority of the cast given that many are contestants, but it feels assured that Shiri Appleby and Constance Zimmer will have a great chance to return.

Are you as pumped about this renewal as we are? Share below, and click here to preview tonight’s installment! Also, sign up if you are interested in grabbing some more TV updates on just about everything we cover, sent right to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: Lifetime.)