AMC announced today that their post-apocalyptic martial arts series Into the Badlands will be returning for a third season. The news does not come as a huge surprise even though the show’s numbers have dropped off notably without The Walking Dead as its lead-in. With that show, Into the Badlands averaged a 1.4 rating based on the overnights for the 18-49 demographic. The last three weeks, though, it has only averaged a 0.53 rating. But it has been seeing very good delayed viewing gains (more important to the cable channels than the broadcast nets), and I’m guessing this one plays well internationally. The third season will comprise 16 episodes (up from this season’s ten) and will air at some point in 2018.
Into the Badlands takes place in a future post-apocalypse where leaders known as the Barons compete for power in a violent world. The show focuses on the former “clipper” Sunny who is searching for his family and the truth of his origins. It stars Daniel Wu, Aramis Knight, Madeleine Mantock, and Emily Beecham.
And in other news, NBC has yanked its superhero comedy Powerless from the schedule effective immediately which essentially assures it is headed to cancellation. The show’s numbers have dropped pretty low the last few weeks, and I had been predicting it would get yanked. But with only three episodes to go in its first season, I started to think the network might let the show go ahead and air out. Apparently they had enough of the low ratings, though, and decided to go ahead and pull it. Whether the remaining three episodes will air at a later time or be made available online remains to be seen. NBC has not officially cancelled the show at this point (the broadcast nets hate to do that these days), but this one will almost certainly be sent to the Network Executioner by season end.
Powerless is loosely based on the DC comic book of the same name and follows the employees of Wayne Security who create products to protect normal people accidentally caught up in superhero conflicts. It stars Vanessa Hudgens, Danny Pudi, Alan Tudyk, and Christina Kirk
We are currently in Upfront season when the networks are preparing their schedules for the 2017-18 season and beyond, so expect plenty more announcements over the next month or so. And be sure to stay tuned to this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for updates and breaking news.
