Several months after the limited series wrapped its run, Fox has handed out a second season renewal to Wayward Pines, TVWise has learned. Ten episodes have been ordered for the show’s second season, which is set to air next Summer.
Based on the Blake Crouch novel, Wayward Pines followed US Secret Service agent Ethan Burke as he arrives in the bucolic town of Wayward Pines, ID, on a mission to find two missing federal agents. The cast for season one included, amongst others, Matt Dillon (Crash), Melissa Leo (The Fighter), Toby Jones (The Hunger Games), Carla Gugino (Watchmen), Terrence Howard (The Butler) and Juliette Lewis (August: Osage County).
The series, which was the one of the first green-lit as part of the network’s push into limited/event programming more than two years ago, was a surprise ratings hit for Fox; ranking as Summer 2015’s #1 broadcast scripted series among Adults 18-49, averaging a 2.2/8 in the key demo. Wayward Pines was also a strong DVR performer, regustering lifts as big as 145%, compared to live+same day, when time-shifted viewing is factored in. Across all ten episodes, the series averaged a multi-platform audience of 9.4 million viewers.
“Wayward Pines was a huge hit for us this past summer. We were absolutely blown away by the mysterious and surprising world that Night and his team created, and the twisting-and-turning storytelling that drew viewers in from day one,” said David Madden, Fox’s President of Entertainment. “Season Two is going to take the suspense, the vision of the future and the haunting character drama to whole new levels, and we can’t wait for our fans to continue that ride next year.”
The second season of Wayward Pines picks up in the wake of Season One, when a new arrival in Wayward Pines finds himself in the middle of a serious rebellion, as the residents battle over how to preserve the endangered human race. Given the amount of time Fox took to make a decision on the show’s fate, the options have been allowed to lapse and so it is not immediately clear if the core cast from season one will return, or if the series will be going down more of an anthology route with a new cast a la FX’s Fargo.
In addition to the potential changes in front of the camera, there is fairly significant change going on behind the scenes. Chad Hodge, who developed Wayward Pines for television alongside M. Night Shyamalan, is exiting as the showrunner and will not be back for season two. Replacing him in the post is Mark Friedman, who executive produces alongside Ashwin Rajan, Donald De Line, Blake Crouch and M. Night Shyamalan. 20th Century Fox Television is the studio. Fox International Channels retains global broadcasting and distribution rights.
