Beauty and the beast
"Beauty and the Beast" stars Austin Basis (left), Kristin Kreuk (center) and Jay Ryan (right) are currently confirmed for a 13 episode Season 3. The 22 episode order rumors are false. CW

We’ve got good news and bad news for fans of The CW’s “Beauty and the Beast.” While the show is confirmed to be returning in 2015, reports the series was picked up for a 22-episode season are false.

Rumors of a 22-episode season began spreading after the Christian Post reported “BATB” would be returning in 2015 with a full episode order. Actor Austin Basis, the star behind fan-favorite character J.T. Forbes, took to Twitter to clear up the confusion for fans.

“It’s still only 13 episodes, as far as we know,” Basis responded to curious Twitter users.

“Beauty and the Beast” began filming Season 3 earlier this fall. As of Nov. 13 the crew was working on episode 7 and planning to take a break from shooting mid-December. According to director and co-executive producer Stuart Gillard, the crew is planning to return in early January to resume filming the final episodes.

The reason for the hype surrounding a 22-episode order is that “Beauty and the Beast” was on the brink of getting canceled by The CW due to low ratings. The show dodged a bullet in May and was renewed for a third season. However, the Season 2 finale in July pulled in 0.3 demo rating for the 18-49 bracket, and 760,000 viewers. In comparison, The CW’s “The Vampire Diaries” had a 0.81 demo rating in the 18-49 bracket for its Season 5 finale, and 1.6 million viewers.

Although ratings numbers for the drama are not ideal for the network, “Beauty and the Beast” has a rabid fan base. Viewers led the series to win E! Online’s 2014 “Save Our Show” tournament, beating out “The Mentalist” with 74.34 percent of the votes. “BATB” is also up for numerous People’s Choice Awards. The show is nominated for “Favorite Network Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show,” and actress Kristin Kreuk is up for “Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress.” Winners will be announced during the awards show Jan. 7.

A Season 4 renewal for “Beauty and the Beast” has yet to be announced. Just like its fellow CW series, “Hart of Dixie,” the show is currently in cancellation limbo.

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