It'll take at least one more season to kill Eve! Killing Eve just premiered Season 2 last night and BBC America has already renewed it for Season 3.
Killing Eve will also continue its tradition of each season having a new woman in charge -- Season 1 had lead writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge as showrunner; Season 2 had Emerald Fennell as lead writer/showrunner; with Season 3 to be run by Suzanne Heathcote as lead writer and executive producer.
Show creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge shared a statement on the latest lady at the helm:
I’m very excited that the Killing Eve baton is being passed onto another incredible writer for season 3. We can sleep soundly knowing these characters are safe in Suzanne Heathcote’s hilariously murderous hands
Emerald Fennell, who led the writing of the current Season 2, also shared her thoughts:
It’s been such an exciting year for me on Killing Eve. I think it’s cool that this tradition has been built into this untraditional show. Inheriting some of Phoebe’s characters was a treat – I can’t wait to see what Suzanne does next.
Killing Eve really is an untraditional show, and not just for things like the Season 2 premiere being titled "Do You Know How to Dispose of a Body?" It's very unusual for a show to grow across its first season. In fact, Killing Eve Season 1 had an unprecedented unbroken record of weekly ratings growth in the key adults 25-54 and 18-49 demos. As BBC America bragged, that is "something no other show on television has accomplished in the history of Nielsen live+3 ratings."
Granted, it's not getting Big Bang Theory numbers, but word of mouth kept it growing and growing, landing series highs with 1.25 million viewers in live+3, up 86 percent from premiere -- with 378,000 adults 18-49, up 100 percent from the premiere.
Killing Eve is making such a cultural killing thanks to the trio of Sandra Oh, Jodie Comer, and Fiona Shaw. Oh plays Eve Polastri, an MI6 operative, with Comer as psychopath assassin Villanelle, and Shaw as MI6 Russian desk leader Carolyn Martens.
The Season 2 premiere -- which picked up just 30 seconds after the end of Season 1 -- was simulcast last night on both BBC America and AMC, giving the episode even more reach. At this point, the ratings aren't in, but they are probably healthy. No matter what, the show is coming back for Season 3.
Killing Eve only had eight episodes for Season 1, and it looks like that will be the case again for Season 2 and possibly for Season 3. Season 1 is a perfect binge-watching show -- and that's how I ended up loving it -- but I'm excited to watch Season 2's episodes week to week, and do the same for Season 3 whenever it premieres (maybe April 2020, if they stick with the current schedule).
Check out how BBC America revealed the renewal on Twitter:
Sarah Barnett, president of Entertainment Networks for AMC Networks, shared her own statement with the early renewal news:
We love having this show and the brilliant Sandra Oh, Jodie Comer and Fiona Shaw on our networks. Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Emerald Fennell have delivered two addictively entertaining seasons. As we did last year, we’re renewing Killing Eve right out of the gate, now with Suzanne Heathcote as lead writer, as a sign of confidence – we adore this show as much as our fans do. Killing Eve doesn’t do anything in a templated way; we love giving opportunity to three genius women to make their mark.
Sandra Oh recently picked up Golden Globe, SAG and Critics' Choice Awards for her role as Eve. She's always asked about returning to Grey's Anatomy but recently said Killing Eve is her home now, and she'll continue playing Eve as long as they'll have her. Or perhaps as long as Villanelle doesn't fulfill the mission of the show's title.
Killing Eve airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on BBC America and AMC. (That's just before Game of Thrones airs at 9 p.m. on HBO for the final six episodes of its series.) You can watch the first episode of Killing Eve Season 2 right now on BBCAmerica.com.
