‘Bates Motel’ Scoop: 13 Things We Learned From The ATX TV Festival

“Bates Motel” fans have quite a few months ahead of them before the hit A&E series returns for Season 3. Fortunately we got some scoop that will make the wait a little more bearable. Executive producers Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin were on hand at the 2014 ATX Television Festival to talk about their “Psycho” prequel and what could possibly lie ahead in Season 3. So, what did we learn? We’re breaking it down for you:

1. When talking about the scandalous kiss between Norma and Norman in the Season 2 finale, the EP’s revealed that Norman’s Freddie Highmore actually suggested it. Kerry Ehrin loved the scene because she found it “fascinating” that Norma would do something like that to control her son.

2. The twisted relationship between Norma and her brother, Caleb, was an idea from Vera Farmiga. However it was Cuse and Ehrin who decided that they didn’t want to villain-ize the character of Caleb.

3. The EP’s teased that there is “no truth” on “Bates Motel.” Instead, everything is a perception. Their goal is to explore the truths and manipulate it.

4. In Season 2 they decided to “populate the town” as a way to explore Norma’s dream of moving to a new place and starting a new life. And while they did give it to her, Ehrin teased that her wings got too close to the sun.

5. Officer Shelby’s death was supposed to be the Season 1 finale for “Bates Motel.” However, the network extended the first season from six episode to 10, and they chose not to rework the story.

6. Discussing the potential series ending of “Bates Motel,” both Cuse and Ehrin agreed that they don’t foresee a “literal” version of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.” Believing that the “Psycho” movie ending would be anti-climatic for the TV show, the pair dished that the end should be their own unique version of the story.

7. The EP’s revealed that they can see “Bates Motel” continuing for a couple more seasons.

8. Carlton Cuse knew from the start that Vera Farmiga was the perfect person to play Norma Bates.

9. Freddie Highmore will be graduating from the University of Cambridge with a degree in Linguistics. He is fluent in Arabic and Spanish.

10. Freddie Highmore reportedly spent the summer between Season 1 and Season 2 translating documents at a law firm in Madrid.

11. Cuse and Ehrin would love to have Bradley return to White Pine Bay in the future, but she’s currently working on movies. Two projects of hers to keep an eye out for are “Affluenza” and “Transformers: Age of Extinction.”

12. There is definitely hope in Season 3 for a Sheriff Romero and Norma Bates romance. Ehrin teased that she’s an advocate for their relationship and is obsessed with the Season 2 scene where Romero tells her that he can see her in the window. However she also acknowledged that a romance might be tricky since they are both “control freaks.”

13. Fans of Carlton Cuse will also want to check out his new shows: FX’s “The Strain,” which premieres on July 13, and A&E’s “The Returned,” which just tapped Mary Elizabeth Winstead.