So many comic book TV shows currently on the air, with many more on the way, that one might think networks would start to pull back on the subgenre. But don't expect that to happen at Fox, as the network officially renewed its Marvel action-drama The Gifted for Season 2. Which means we can expect to see more mutant mayhem throughout 2018.
While Fox has certainly been known to inexplicably cancel shows against viewers' wishes, The Gifted managed to get saved from such an unfortunate fate with its Season 2 renewal. One reason why Fox chose to reward the X-Men-adjacent drama is because it was received largely positively from both critics and fans, something that panned shows like Iron Fist, Inhumans and others couldn't similarly boast about. That fandom obviously plays into the second reason why Fox is keeping The Gifted going, with the comic drama currently ranking as the third most popular new drama of the 2017-2018 TV season.
According to Fox, The Gifted is averaging around 8.3 million viewers an episode across all platforms when Live+7 delayed viewing is accounted for. It's also averaging a very impressive 2.0 rating for the key 18-49 age demographic, which is no doubt bolstered by the show's young-leaning cast. (Hell, even Stephen Moyer and Amy Acker could pass for 30.) Those stats show a 146% rise from The Gifted's same-night viewership data, so it's clear that people are making time for Mutant HQ, even if it's not always happening on Monday nights.
The Gifted's exciting renewal announcement was made during the Television Critics Association's winter press tour, where Fox execs were made to discuss how things are going in the aftermath of the news that Disney would be buying out a ton of 20th Century Fox's companies. Unfortunately, there weren't very many details to share as far as what changes could be coming to Fox's lone Marvel series. (Or FX's Legion, for that matter.) We obviously want to see the X-Men show up, but perhaps other introductions would suffice.
It was good timing on Fox's part to make Season 2 a reality when it did, since The Gifted is unfortunately soon coming to a close, and with no end in sight to all the problems facing the consistently victimized mutant population. Its season finale will arrive on January 15 in the form of a two-hour episode, which hopefully means lots of answers and big reveals will come up. But before then, we'll need to make it through next week's "eXtraction," and you can check out the trailer for it below.
As fans are well aware, The Gifted airs on Fox on Monday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET, with the extended finale airing on January 15. Wondering when all the other TV shows and more are coming to the small screen, but you don't have any mutant powers that automatically clue you in? Just head to our midseason premiere schedule and bookmark it to keep fill your evenings accordingly.
