‘The Exorcist’ Season 2 Renewed By FOX Despite Unimpressive Ratings

“The Exorcist” Season 2 has just been picked up by FOX months after rumors swirled that it will be canceled.

According to the TV Line, FOX’s decision was very much unexpected because the Geena Davis-starrer only averaged 1.9 million total viewers and a 0.7 rating among the 18 to 49 demographic. The series, which aired on Friday nights, equaled or somewhat bested the ratings for “Rosewood,” “Sleepy Hollow” and “Scream Queens” in the demo. As of late, FOX has already axed “Rosewood” and “Sleepy Hollow.”

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“The Exorcist” was based on the Academy Award-nominated 1973 film of the same title. The series is written and executive produced by Jeremy Slater. In December 2016, Slater spoke with Deadline to say that he’s hopeful the series will be picked up by the network for a second season. “I don’t know if this is the end of ‘The Exorcist’ story, I definitely hope it’s not because I love these characters and this world and I have a lot more story to tell. But if this is all we get, then I feel we went out swinging on a real high note,” he said.

Slater also explained why he decided to write the finale episode in such a way that there won’t be any cliffhangers. According to the EP, it wasn’t because he was worried about the fate of the series, but because he isn’t a fan of cliffhangers. “I feel it cheats the audience and it’s a last way to create suspense. My goal was then that this first season needed to tell a story with a beginning, a middle and an end and that story was the possession of the Rance family,” he said.

In “Chapter Ten: Three Rooms,” Father Tomas (Alfonso Herrera) was serious about helping the Rance family deal with their possession. But the priest just ended up fighting for his own soul. At one point, Father Tomas suffered from hallucinations, such as one episode where he thought he was with Father Marcus (Ben Daniels) at the former’s childhood home.

Additionally, Casey (Hannah Kasulka) was able to live a normal life after Father Marcus and Father Tomas helped get the demon out of her body. Father Marcus also encouraged Casey to consider being an exorcist so that she could also help other people. Casey and her entire family later decided to leave for Chicago so that they can start a new life together.

Meanwhile, now that “The Exorcist” has been renewed for Season 2, it is safe to say that none of the members of the Rance family will be back. Slater explained that “The Exorcist” isn’t an anthology series so new characters and stories will be introduced. However, Fathers Marcus and Tomas will still be part of the upcoming episodes.

“Because audiences have an emotional investment in Marcus and Tomas and their journey at this point. I think Marcus and Tomas are the heart of the show and I think that maybe as long as they are both alive they would always be the central focus of the series,” he said.