The American Revolution will continue, with news that AMC has decided to pick up its freshman historical drama Turn for a second season of ten episodes in 2015. One of the network’s two scripted newcomers this year (along with Halt and Catch Fire), Turn was never a lock to return. It got off to a weak start and maintained low ratings throughout its first season. Regardless of the ratings though, AMC evidently believes in the storytelling abilities of writer-creator Craig Silverstein.
AMC president Charlie Collier acknowledged the low ratings in an official statement announcing the renewal, saying:
“Craig Silverstein, Barry Josephson and a talented cast and crew delivered a truly distinctive and engaging premiere season. We look forward to continuing this revolutionary journey into season two. AMC and its creative partners have a track record of nurturing programs we collectively believe in, patiently growing viewership and engagement over time. With Turn, once again, we dive in with our partners to build upon this very promising first season.”
Turn stars Jamie Bell as Abe Woodhull, a New York farmer who forms a group of spies called the Culper Ring in 1776, while American forces battle the British for independence. Slowly, the Culper Ring grows, eventually playing an instrumental part in turning the tide during the American Revolutionary War.
Now that Turn has been renewed, that leaves only Halt and Catch Fire unaccounted for. With Breaking Bad over and Mad Men winding down in 2015, AMC may well decide to take a chance on that low-rated computing drama, but it hasn’t received a stellar reception. Though reviews were largely positive, viewers still haven’t caught on, so it may have an even rockier road to renewal than Turn did.
As always, we’ll keep you posted when we hear more.
