USA's Shooter was a pretty solid performer over its first two seasons on the air, but it ran into some problems by the end of Season 2. Star Ryan Phillippe suffered an injury that meant the show could not complete filming the last couple of episodes. Season 2 didn't end on a terrible note, however, and plenty of fans have been wondering ever since the finale if and when news of Season 3 would break. Well, Ryan Phillippe himself posted the good news about Shooter on social media:
Ryan Phillippe shared word of the renewal on Instagram, and the caption indicates that the Shooter team is well on their way of putting together the third season. They're going to be shooting new episodes in the not-too-distant future, and Phillippe seems as enthusiastic as ever about the series. Interestingly, the renewal itself wasn't the only piece of good news for Shooter fans today.
Season 3 of Shooter will also get an increased episode order. USA has ordered a total of 13 episodes for Shooter Season 3, which is a notable bump from earlier years. Both Seasons 1 and 2 scored orders for ten episodes, although Season 2 ultimately only ran for eight due to Ryan Phillippe's leg injury. Admittedly, it was always likely that a third season would begin in a way that would finish the story that was meant to be told in the second season, but there was no guarantee that Shooter would get extra episodes in order to do it. The show could have easily scored another order for ten episodes, with two to finish the previous arc and eight for a brand new arc.
The increased episode count for Season 3 (as reported by TVLine) likely means that Shooter will finish off the Season 2 arc and set up its regular 10-episode arc. All things considered, Season 3 is shaping up to be a pretty exciting time for fans. Loosely based on the second book in the Lee Swagger series that inspired the show, Season 3 will see leading man Bob Lee learning of a conspiracy courtesy of a nemesis. The only bad news for fans is that it might be a while before we get to see any of the 13 new episodes.
Production is technically only weeks away from kicking off in January, but there's no word of when Season 3 might premiere on USA. Personally, I'd put my money on the first episode hitting the airwaves sometime in the summer. Season 2 kicked off in the middle of July, with an intended finale by the end of September. Season 3 could very well air on a similar timeline, although I wouldn't rule out a premiere a few weeks earlier due to the extra episodes. While there is the chance that USA could hold Season 3 until a late fall premiere to match the timeline of Season 1, which scored higher viewership and ratings than Season 2, that would make for a very long wait for fans.
We'll have to wait and see. Take a look at our fall TV guide and our 2018 midseason premiere schedule for what you can watch in the meantime. You can catch the first season of Shooter streaming on Netflix now. For the shows that aren't lucky enough to score a renewal, take a look at our rundown of 2017 TV cancellations.
