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It was just about a month ago that CBS announced that one of its hits of the 2019-2020 fall TV season, Evil, would be moving over to the streamer Paramount+ for Season 2. It was a surprise, but one that came with the news that long-time network staple, S.E.A.L. Team, would also be making the same shift, so, clearly, some big changes were afoot. While the move may have shocked or even disappointed fans who were looking forward to watching Evil Season 2 as they had the first set of episodes, stars Mike Colter and Katja Herbers both think that it was a good idea.
Evil managed to draw a strong number of viewers in Season 1, with its mysteries surrounding potentially demonic / angelic / otherwise supernatural events, and stories that continued to walk a line which rarely made the truth behind everything clear to audiences. The second season is now set to bring fans even more of that leave-the-lights-on tension, and Mike Colter and Katja Herbers are in agreement in the belief that moving from their network home to Paramount+ was for the best. In a recent chat with Entertainment Weekly, they noted:
Colter: It really makes sense. We have a little more creative freedom there. We'll be able to reach a bigger audience.Herbers: I went back and added a bunch fucks and shits, and things. I feel like the show is more fit for streaming. We had our Netflix run last year, which was so successful. And I'm excited about, in anticipation of [a] Season 3, that we get to be even more out there.
While Katja Herbers laughed while saying that she added loads of cursing to her dialogue, it is very much true that some of the breaks which were probably on while Evil aired on CBS will now be either loosened or gone entirely. As we all know by now, streaming is a very different (horned) beast from network television, and shows can push the limits way beyond what would normally be seen in prime time should the producers so choose.
Colter and Herbers both mentioned that streaming seems to be a better fit for their series, and that it should be able to reach a wider audience there, and there does seem to be precedent for that. In an unusual move for a network which was already attached to a streaming service (Paramount+ was called CBS All Access until recently), CBS opted to license Evil to Netflix last year. The move has been able to bring the show more fans, and as someone who watched most of Season 1 via streamed binges, I can tell you it really helps to watch episodes back to back when possible.
While this change in where Evil Season 2 airs is unlikely to alter much of what audiences will see in the new episodes (Herbers and Colter only found out about the move roughly a week before the public did, so it's possible producers didn't know for much longer than that), fans will be aware that Season 1 already broke some boundaries on its own. The finale saw non-believer in possessions, Kristen (Herbers), probably kill a serial killer who'd been threatening her daughters, only to have a crucifix burn her hand after.
In addition, the first season brought us a lot of crazy sights and stories (all of which you should remember before the new season), and Season 2 is on pace to up the show's game.
Evil Season 2 debuts on Paramount+ this Sunday, June 20, but for more to watch, check out our guide to 2021 summer TV!
