Despite a big drop in the ratings in season two (down more than 30% when compared to season one), AMC has decided to renew their critically-acclaimed computer drama Halt and Catch Fire for a third season. There will be 10 episodes once again and the season will air over the summer months.
Here’s the AMC announcement:
CALIFORNIA, HERE WE COME!
AMC RENEWS “HALT AND CATCH FIRE” FOR THIRD SEASON
NEW YORK, NY – October 8, 2015 – AMC today announced that it has ordered a third season of “Halt and Catch Fire,” a show that garnered significant critical acclaim in its second season, which shifted focus from building a personal computer to online gaming and communication and the early days of what would become the Internet. Co-creators and writers Christopher Cantwell and Christopher C. Rogers have been upped to showrunners for the 10-episode third season, which will return to AMC next summer. The series will also debut on AMC Global channels around the world.
“We love what the creative team and cast have been able to deliver on ‘Halt and Catch Fire’ and are particularly grateful to the critics and fans who supported the show throughout the second season and have been pulling for its renewal,” said Joel Stillerman, president of original programming and development for AMC and SundanceTV. “We’re so thankful for the talent and leadership of Jonathan Lisco over these first two seasons and glad that we are able to continue this story with co-creators and showrunners Chris Cantwell and Chris Rogers at the helm. In a world of TV series filled with scary, mythical creatures like zombies and dragons, we’re thrilled to be able to follow these characters to Silicon Valley and finally bring unicorns to television.”
Cantwell and Rogers said: “We are beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to continue telling this story. ‘Halt and Catch Fire’ has been a passion project of ours from day one, and we are so thankful that AMC not only shares this passion, but also continues to champion bold character-driven storytelling in an increasingly crowded television landscape. While we know we would not be here were it not for the leadership and mentorship of former showrunner Jonathan Lisco, we’re incredibly excited to continue working with our wonderful producing partners at Gran Via, as well as our extremely talented cast and crew. Much in the way that ‘Halt’ is about underdogs overcoming convention and breaking new ground, the story of season 3 will endeavor to further stretch the medium and challenge the form.”
From AMC Studios, “Halt and Catch Fire” captures the rise of the PC era in the early 1980s, focused on four main characters attempting to innovate against the changing backdrop of technology and Texas’ Silicon Prairie. In addition to Cantwell and Rogers, the series is executive produced by Gran Via Productions’ Mark Johnson (“Better Call Saul,” “Rectify,” “Breaking Bad,” Diner, Rain Man) and Melissa Bernstein (“Better Call Saul,” “Rectify,” “Breaking Bad”) and stars Lee Pace as Joe MacMillan, Scoot McNairy as Gordon Clark, Kerry Bishé as Donna Clark and Mackenzie Davis as Cameron Howe. “Halt and Catch Fire” is distributed internationally by Entertainment One Television (eOne) through an exclusive multi-year output agreement.
Critical Reception to “Halt and Catch Fire” Season 2:
“‘Halt and Catch Fire’ has simply turned into a great show at this point. I hope AMC continues to stick with it.” – HitFix.com
“The second season of Halt and Catch Fire, AMC’s 1980s-set tech drama, turned out to be terrific, engaging television, taking the show’s characters through the earliest days of the online boom and concluding with a finale that leaves all sorts of possibilities open for a third season. It’s a great, great season of TV.” – Vox.com
“Consider the entirety of Halt and Catch Fire’s excellent second season, 10 episodes that were as elegant as they were rewarding. Better, it was a celebration of the good things that can result when television writers care – and care deeply – about the smallest details of their creations.” – Grantland.com
“Across the board, Halt’s great leap forward makes for a breezier, better show.” – RollingStone.com
“If you weren’t an early adopter of this computer-biz drama, don’t worry. Season 2 is easy to jump into, and it’s excellent.” – Time.com
“If you missed the show last time around, make sure you don’t this season. Because one of my favorite new series of 2014 hit the return button and came back with way more bandwidth and RAM.” – Deadline.com
About AMC
Whether commemorating favorite films from every genre and decade, or creating acclaimed original programming, AMC brings to its audience something deeper, something richer, Something More. The network reigns as the only cable network in history ever to win the Emmy(R) Award for Outstanding Drama Series four years in a row with “Mad Men,” and six of the last eight with back-to-back honoree “Breaking Bad.” The network boasts the most-watched drama series in basic cable history and the number one show on television among adults 18-49 for the last three years with “The Walking Dead.” AMC’s current original drama series include “The Walking Dead,” “Better Call Saul,” “Hell on Wheels,” “TURN: Washington’s Spies,” “Halt and Catch Fire,” “Humans,” “Fear the Walking Dead,” and the forthcoming “Into the Badlands,” “The Night Manager,” “Broke” and “Preacher.” AMC also explores authentic worlds and discussion with original shows like “Talking Dead,” “The Making of The Mob,” “Comic Book Men” and the upcoming “The West.” AMC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc. and its sister networks include IFC, SundanceTV, BBC America and WE tv. AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile. AMC: Something More.
What do you think? Do you like the Halt and Catch Fire TV show? Why do you think the ratings saw such a steep decline in season two? Do you think that it should have been cancelled instead of renewed?
I absolutely love it! One of the best on tv. This is during my time. I majored in computer design and programing. God….DOS!!!!!!!! We’ve come a long way baby!!! I hope it stays on for at least 3-4 more yrs. to span the age of computers deservingly!!!!
I have tried to find the program on Netflix or Amazon or somewhere where I don’t have to pay per episode. I dropped cable TV because they kept ******** with the cost and once I went to Roku and could watch what I want, its a no brainer. I was hoping Halt and Catch Fire would show up on one of those venues. When I watched the program on cable, it seemed to be irratic or hard to find or depend on. Got tired of chasing it around.
M Hallett
amazon has season 1 free. 2 was only 20 something bucks and worth it.
AMC makes me happy 🙂 I love this show.
My husband and I found this show in its second year, and were sad to have missed the first! It’s unique, has good character development, and is virtually free of nudity and violence! We’re thrilled about the renewal!
Ebay has a good deal on dvd. Where I got season 1. Have 2 on Amazon.
Great news, I watched all the parts with Lee Pace in the first season, but I watched everything in the second season because the show just got that much better. Looking forward to seeing their continuing adventures in the emerging world of computing.
Lee is reason I started watching it. Such a great actor (easy on the eyes too). But I love the storyline too. I remember working with a character just like Joe (he knows who he is). Computer was exactly what they show dog eat dog world. Now comes Silicon Valley, remember it too!
Shocking renewal… But hey I’m all for it, just didn’t think it would happen! TOTAL WIN!
This makes me happy !!! This show is so good – I would miss it terribly. THANK-YOU!!
Yipee!