Cancellation/renewal television season is upon us, and it’s been a bloodbath so far. ABC in particular has gone on a rampage of cutting shows from the lineup, with everything from the long-running Castle being axed to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. spinoff Marvel’s Most Wanted being nixed before it even hit the airwaves. Luckily, ABC took a break from all the cancellations to announce a slightly surprising renewal: The Catch will be getting a Season 2.
The numbers for The Catch only averaged 6.9 million viewers per week and a 1.6 rating in the valuable 18 – 49 age demographic, according to EW. 6.9 million and a 1.6 rating aren’t exactly catastrophic numbers, but they were low enough to be a cause for worry about renewal odds. The ratings are significantly higher than ABC’s Galavant and Agent Carter, however, both of which have officially been cancelled. Perhaps the numbers for the Thursday night thriller just looked way better to ABC in comparison to the shows with much lower ratings.
Another factor that may have gone into The Catch getting a second season actually has more to do with Scandal than The Catch. Scandal star Kerry Washington’s pregnancy may force ABC to do some schedule shuffling. If Scandal chooses to delay filming rather than hide Washington behind potted plants and big purses, The Catch may be needed to help Grey’s Anatomy keep Thursday night programming alive on ABC with one of its staples gone. The Catch hailing from ShondaLand couldn’t have hurt its chances for a future either.
Of course, The Catch has also had a enough of a high-quality first season that ABC should have reason to have faith that a second season could be even better with a solid foundation behind it. The show follows private investigator Alice Vaughn after she was swindled for her savings when her fiancé Christopher turned out to be a savvy con artist. Season 1 has seen her balancing her regular cases as a P.I. while also chasing down clues to catch her former fiancé.
The Catch provides a twist on the typical crime drama thanks to Alice’s personal quest to bring Christopher to justice, and the element of mystery makes it easy to invest in an episode. Mireille Enos is fantastic as Alice, and Peter Krause finds a balance between charming and slimy as Christopher. All in all, we should be glad that they’ll get another season to play cat-and-mouse with each other.
For a look at what shows were axed by the major networks in the latest bloodbath, check out our list of all the big shows that have been cancelled. Don’t forget to take a look at our rundown of all of the shows that have been cancelled or renewed, and see our summer TV premiere schedule to find out what will be hitting the airwaves in the near future.
