NEW YORK, NY, August 20, 2014 – AMC today announced that it had ordered a second season of the drama “Halt and Catch Fire,” a show that attracted a committed core audience and notable critical acclaim across its initial season. The show will return to AMC next summer.
“This is a show about invention, experimentation, and the inherent risks in trying to break new ground – themes that really resonate with us as a network and attracted a passionate audience,” said Charlie Collier, AMC president. “We have a history of demonstrating patience through the early seasons of new shows, betting on talent and building audience over time. We see that opportunity here and look forward to a second season of ‘Halt and Catch Fire’ from creators Chris Cantwell and Chris Rogers, and showrunner Jonathan Lisco.”
“We're thrilled to have the opportunity to continue telling this story. Our series about creation, innovation, and taking bold risks wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for our partners at AMC, a network known for these very things,” Lisco, Cantwell and Rogers said. “Harnessing the momentum of our first season, this next chapter will take the rich characters our audience has come to love in new and surprising directions.”
Season ratings averages, Live+7, across initial 10 episodes
Total viewers, 1.3 million (+78% growth from Live+Same Day)
Adults 25-54, 645k (+90% growth from Live+Same Day)
Adults 18-49, 606k (+92% growth Live+Same Day)
According to Nielsen data, the first season of “Halt and Catch Fire” was one of the most upscale dramas on ad-supported television, #3 among adults 18-49, behind “Mad Men” and “The Good Wife,” and #4 among adults 25-54, behind “Mad Men,” “The Good Wife” and “Parenthood.” It was also one of cable's most engaging dramas among adults 18-49 (#3) and adults 25-54 (#4), according to Nielsen TV Brand Effect.
From AMC Studios, “Halt and Catch Fire” captures the rise of the PC era in the early 1980s, focused on four primary characters attempting to innovate against the changing backdrop of technology and Texas’ Silicon Prairie. The series was created by Chris Cantwell and Christopher C. Rogers and executive produced by Cantwell, Rogers, showrunner Jonathan Lisco (“Southland”) and Gran Via Productions’ Mark Johnson (“Breaking Bad,” “Rectify,” Diner, Rain Man) and Melissa Bernstein (“Breaking Bad,” “Rectify”). Main characters include Joe MacMillan (Lee Pace), Gordon Clark (Scoot McNairy), Donna Clarke (Kerry Bishé), Cameron Howe (Mackenzie Davis) and John Bosworth (Toby Huss).
“Halt and Catch Fire” is distributed internationally by Entertainment One Television (eOne), through an exclusive multi-year output agreement.
“This is a show about invention, experimentation, and the inherent risks in trying to break new ground – themes that really resonate with us as a network and attracted a passionate audience,” said Charlie Collier, AMC president. “We have a history of demonstrating patience through the early seasons of new shows, betting on talent and building audience over time. We see that opportunity here and look forward to a second season of ‘Halt and Catch Fire’ from creators Chris Cantwell and Chris Rogers, and showrunner Jonathan Lisco.”
“We're thrilled to have the opportunity to continue telling this story. Our series about creation, innovation, and taking bold risks wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for our partners at AMC, a network known for these very things,” Lisco, Cantwell and Rogers said. “Harnessing the momentum of our first season, this next chapter will take the rich characters our audience has come to love in new and surprising directions.”
Season ratings averages, Live+7, across initial 10 episodes
Total viewers, 1.3 million (+78% growth from Live+Same Day)
Adults 25-54, 645k (+90% growth from Live+Same Day)
Adults 18-49, 606k (+92% growth Live+Same Day)
According to Nielsen data, the first season of “Halt and Catch Fire” was one of the most upscale dramas on ad-supported television, #3 among adults 18-49, behind “Mad Men” and “The Good Wife,” and #4 among adults 25-54, behind “Mad Men,” “The Good Wife” and “Parenthood.” It was also one of cable's most engaging dramas among adults 18-49 (#3) and adults 25-54 (#4), according to Nielsen TV Brand Effect.
From AMC Studios, “Halt and Catch Fire” captures the rise of the PC era in the early 1980s, focused on four primary characters attempting to innovate against the changing backdrop of technology and Texas’ Silicon Prairie. The series was created by Chris Cantwell and Christopher C. Rogers and executive produced by Cantwell, Rogers, showrunner Jonathan Lisco (“Southland”) and Gran Via Productions’ Mark Johnson (“Breaking Bad,” “Rectify,” Diner, Rain Man) and Melissa Bernstein (“Breaking Bad,” “Rectify”). Main characters include Joe MacMillan (Lee Pace), Gordon Clark (Scoot McNairy), Donna Clarke (Kerry Bishé), Cameron Howe (Mackenzie Davis) and John Bosworth (Toby Huss).
“Halt and Catch Fire” is distributed internationally by Entertainment One Television (eOne), through an exclusive multi-year output agreement.
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Great NEWS!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAwesome and unexpected news!!
ReplyDeleteAWESOME news!
ReplyDeleteIt was easily one of the best new shows of last year!
I had read an article that things were looking upward for the renewal a few weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteI guess AMC was happy with the love from critics and even though the audience had low demo ratings, there was a good number of tech savvy rich people that loved the show.
Yay!!!!! Loved the show! The characters were interesting and the story was gripping. I hope a lot of people will catch up before the summer, so it will get some more love next summer.
ReplyDeleteDid not see this coming.
ReplyDeleteI don't watch the show, but I support Lee Pace on all his roles, so may this last long! I may start watching eventually
Hopefully they will do a complete relaunch of Season 1 with a more compatible show than Turn.
ReplyDeleteI don't watch the show and I'm not interested in it, but I'm glad that AMC are giving their new shows a chance.
ReplyDeleteDidn't see that coming.
ReplyDeletePoor Low Winter Sun.
This is great news. I had some issues watching it, and felt like I had to rewatch the whole season before writing the finale review, but on the second watch I came to appreciate it more. It really is unique. Now I guess I have to get my review out. :-P
ReplyDeleteI wonder about Lee Pace's availability. I had read he had signed on for another pilot.
I wish they would air it a little earlier than 10 pm next season. I'm an early riser and I just can't do 10 pm shows that require some thinking. This show does better in a marathon, I think, so that would be ideal - some upcoming holiday weekend.
ReplyDeleteI´m in heaven! Amazing news!
ReplyDeletedo not get me wrong, but if you do not like the show someone else should do the reviews, you've always been pessimistic about the show, it may alienate the audience
ReplyDeleteIt´s really, really good, Lee Pace in the best performance, trust me.
ReplyDeleteI think overall I've been more positive about this series than negative, but part of writing reviews is looking what doesn't work as well as what does work. It opens up a discussion. Not everyone has to agree. Other people on the writing staff have the opportunity to contribute articles about the show if they wish.
ReplyDeleteAs I don´t live in the States, I can´t watch it live and never thought about which show it was paired with. You are right, let´s hope they find something more compatible (though this show is very differnent, I can´t think of a logical pairing).
ReplyDeleteYeah I suppose some shows are harder for people to watch live or on the same night for that reason.
ReplyDeleteSince you seem to have come around to really enjoying the show maybe watching it the day after it airs would work better for you? Although I don't know your TV schedule (or when AMC will air Season 2)....
I watched the first 3 episodes as a mini marathon and it worked out really well. So you are right. I´ll have to watch it again, before season 2 starts (god, it feels good to type that!!!)
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
ReplyDeleteThe only quasi-related pairing I see is Mad Men being that both look to bygone eras, both have rather broken lead characters that seem to self-sabotage.
I like the first episode and thought I would likely watch the entire season, but I really fell in love with the series during the next two episodes!
ReplyDeleteYes, that's what I did most of this season - watched it on a different night. Of course that delayed my reviews, but that's just my problem. But talking about the time slot here, I can't imagine Sundays at 10 pm is an ideal time slot for the ratings, especially considering that (I'm guessing) this show skews more toward an older audience who remember the '80s and get sleepy past their bedtime.
ReplyDeletePart of the reason it had decent DVR numbers I guess...
ReplyDeleteYou are right. In my oppinion Joe is an even more interesting character than Don, but you can easily compare the two. The audience might be almost the same.
ReplyDeleteMY first thought about the series was it was the natural successor to Mad Men....
ReplyDeleteIt feels similar to me on a lot of levels, but the era changes a lot of people's perceptions and desire to watch the series. Some people really love the 60's and look at the 80's as a throwaway decade that leaves them skeptical before even watching .
I think the 60's style was a lot of what people found charming about Mad Men that first season. The writing and acting was excellent and kept people coming back, but the media loved to talk about the show's style those first years.
Mad Men is an excellent show. I stopped watching after 3 seasons because it was to slow for me. Halt and Catch Fire is a different decade, but it also a different pace. Though it is character based, just like Mad Men, I find that the story is also in focus and every episode has more progress than 3 - 4 Mad Men episodes.
ReplyDeleteI really hope the show finds the right audience, it is a beautiful piece of work.
Unexpected, but pleasant.
ReplyDeleteJust saw this news and am thrilled. Liked the show and am looking forward to more. :)
ReplyDeleteJust caught up with the season. Even though I didn't like that much the season finale, the show was really bewitching. It has its problems, but it is really addictive, so I'm glad to see it coming back for another season!
ReplyDeleteJust caught up with that; once I started I couldn't stop. There's something about this show that is really addictive!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for S2!
Finale episode was the weakest of the series for me too. It felt a bit flat at the end compared to midway through the episode.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to next year though!
=)) yessssss!!!!! thank God season 2 is coming!! and thank you, and I and the audience!!!!
ReplyDelete