FOX has renewed the Wayward Pines TV show for a second season. Before the summer season one finale, FOX billed that episode as a series finale. This led fans to consider the show cancelled, but hope for season two kept bubbling up.

As early as July, Showrunner Chad Hodge and Executive Producer M. Night Shymalan refused to rule out a second season of Wayward Pines. Matt Dillon and Toby Jones’ characters are off the canvas by the end of the first season finale, so the season two cast remains a bit of a mystery.

Get more details in the Wayward Pines season two renewal press release, from FOX:

“WAYWARD PINES” TO RETURN FOR A SECOND SEASON

Thriller was No. 1 Broadcast Scripted Series of the Summer Among Adults 18-49

Next Chapter in Hit Event Series Set to Air Summer 2016 on FOX

FOX has renewed hit psychological thriller WAYWARD PINES for a second season, it was announced today by David Madden, President, Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company.

From M. Night Shyamalan (“The Sixth Sense,” “The Visit”) and based on Blake Crouch’s international best-selling series of books, 10 all-new episodes of the suspenseful drama are set to air in Summer 2016. The second season will pick up in the wake of Season One, when a new arrival in Wayward Pines finds himself in the middle of a serious rebellion, as the residents battle over how to preserve the endangered human race.

“WAYWARD PINES was a huge hit for us this past summer. We were absolutely blown away by the mysterious and surprising world that Night and his team created, and the twisting-and-turning storytelling that drew viewers in from day one,” said Madden. “Season Two is going to take the suspense, the vision of the future and the haunting character drama to whole new levels, and we can’t wait for our fans to continue that ride next year.”

Season One of WAYWARD PINES ranked as Summer 2015’s No. 1 broadcast scripted series among Adults 18-49, averaging a 2.2/8 in the key demo. The series – about a Secret Service agent on a mission to find two missing federal agents in a sleepy Northwest town, and the shocking results of his investigation – ranked among Summer 2015’s Top 10 broadcast programs overall among Adults 18-49. The series earned a multi-platform average audience of 9.4 million, which represents a +145% increase versus its Live+Same Day audience – the largest multi-platform lift versus Live+Same Day ever for a FOX drama.

WAYWARD PINES is a production of 20th Century Fox Television. The series is executive-produced by Donald De Line (“Green Lantern,” “The Italian Job”), Ashwin Rajan (“Devil,” “The Visit”), Mark Friedman (“Believe,” “The Forgotten”), Blake Crouch and M. Night Shyamalan. “Like” WAYWARD PINES on Facebook at facebook.com/WaywardPines. Follow the series on Twitter at @WaywardPinesFOX and join the discussion using #WaywardPines. See photos and videos on Instagram by following @Wayward Pines.

The Wayward Pines second season renewal comes as less of a surprise to fans who track ratings. During its first season run, the series was FOX’s second-best summer performer. For season one, Wayward Pines averaged a 1.10 rating in the 18-49 demographic, with a total audience of 3.82 million viewers.

The Wayward Pines season one finale earned a 1.2 in the 18-49 demo, and brought in an audience of 3.91 million viewers. That finale episode was the second highest rated broadcast network prime time offering on July 23, 2015.

CBS‘s Big Brother came in with the highest numbers and a 1.8 in the demo. CBS’s half-hour comedy Mom also got a 1.2 in the demo, tying Wayward Pines.

For nostalgia’s sake, watch the FOX season one finale promo that billed the episode as an “EPIC SERIES FINALE,” and caused so much confusion:

What do you think? Are you a fan of the Wayward Pines TV series? Are you still interested, without Matt Dillon and Toby Jones? Do you plan to watch season two on FOX?