Adapting popular horror franchise for TV is a tricky thing. Part of what makes scary movies so great is that they're contained- anyone can die because no one is guaranteed to be brought back for the next sequel. But once a horror franchise moves to the small screen, it can be a bit lackluster due to the change of format and the lack of high stakes. We've seen this happen with the 90's adaptations like Friday the 13th and the Freddy's Nightmares series, which failed to run longer than a few season. MTV's Scream seems to be facing similar struggles, but we've got good news for fans of the Lakewood Six.
According to TV Line, MTV has renewed Scream for a third season. While this is will delight its viewers, there is a catch. Season 3 of Scream will only run for 6 short episodes. This is unprecedented and may signal a possible cancellation for the series, but so far that information hasn't been made public. All we know is a third season will definitely happen, and it's going to be a shorter one (Game of Thrones style).
News of Scream's short Season 3 renewal is a bit puzzling. MTV doesn't usually rake in particularly high viewership, so it can be hard for shows to stay on the network. But what's confusing about Scream's news is that there is also a made for TV Halloween special airing next week. If the network was particularly unhappy with the slasher series, then why would they bother producing extracurricular material? Plus, Season 2 had its own after show hosted by comedian Jeffrey Self, just adding to the idea that MTV is putting a lot of eggs in the Scream basket. These seem like conflicting messages, so it should be interesting to see what other news follows in the months to come.
Scream, named after the popular film franchise of the same name, is a story completely separate from Sydney Prescott and the Woosboro murders. Instead, we follow an entirely different story, killer, mask, and young heroine. Scream does follow the same tropes and style of the film franchise, and brings modern technology to the forefront of the story. The characters are super meta in their daily conversations, and the main character Emma is suffering due to the mistakes of her mother. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
It's hard to say exactly where Scream will go in its third season, especially considering that the Halloween special is airing soon. The final moments of the Halloween special's teaser features a hotel clerk saying "Welcome to Lakewood, Mr. James" which seems to imply that Brandon James himself would be the main villain in the show's third season. I think we can assume that none of the main characters will die in the special, since that might confuse audiences who forgot to watch the off season entertainment.
Either way, Scream's future seems up in the air, and we'll keep you updated as more details become public.
