The Fall 2016 season has just begun and we already have our first renewal. FX announced today that their horror anthology series American Horror Story will be returning for a seventh season. That show bowed with strong numbers for its sixth year in mid-September, but has seen its ratings drop off notably since then. But it followed a similar trend last year (you can see those numbers at this link) and it is currently one of the top rated scripted shows on cable. I have had the show at a Low Cancellation Alert level since it started its sixth season, though I speculated that this could be its last because the ratings have been down and because it is expensive to produce. But it is the flagship series for the network and a seventh season will be padding to its eventual syndication run (where shows really start to pull a profit). It also trends well on the social networks and has drawn a lot of attention because of the star power it attracts to lead and recurring roles. Plus, its anthology nature gives the show the chance to reboot itself each season and attract new viewers based on the new storylines that it introduces.
HBO’s Westworld got a solid start this past Sunday (more on that at this link), and I would put good money on it being one of the next renewals we hear about (the pay channels like to make early announcements). Ash vs. Evil Dead also performed well with its Season 2 debut, and it’s possible Starz could pull the trigger on a third season pretty soon. Be sure to keep an eye on this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site and Facebook Page for updates and breaking announcements as we continue through the Fall season.
