‘Bates Motel’ Renewed For 2 Seasons By A&E; ‘The Returned’ Not Coming Back
A&E is sticking with its flagship drama series, Bates Motel, giving the Psycho prequel a two-season, 20-episode pickup. The renewal is for Seasons 4 and 5, with the network stopping short of setting an end date for the series. Meanwhile, the new drama that launched behind Bates Motel‘s most recent third season, The Returned, has been cancelled and won’t return for a second season. While doing a little better than Bates‘ companion last year, the swiftly cancelled Those Who Kill, The Returned, a remake of the acclaimed French drama, couldn’t get much traction or buzz.
Down from Season 2, Bates Motel still drew a sizable audience, opening Season 3 with 2.1 million viewers in Live+same day and ending it with 1.7 million. The Returned launched with 1.5 million and closed out its maiden season with a 945,000 viewers. A&E already hinted at The Returned‘s fate by picking up a potential new companion for Bates, another offshoot from a classic movie, The Omen sequel Damien.
“The vision of our incredible creative team has exposed the steady breakdown of the relationship between Norman and Norma Bates,” said A&E & Lifetime EVP and GM Rob Sharenow. “We are thrilled to bring fans two more seasons to witness the next stages of Norman’s transformation into the most notorious psychopath in cinematic history.”
Bates Motel centers on Norma Bates (Vera Farmiga) and her son, Norman (Freddie Highmore). Both actors have drawn praise for their performances, most recently receiving Critics Choice TV Awards nominations. Max Thieriot, Olivia Cooke and Nestor Carbonell co-star.
Bates Motel, from Universal Television, is executive produced by Kerry Ehrin and Carlton Cuse. Production will begin later this year, with Season 4 slated to air in 2016.
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