'Halt And Catch Fire' Renewed For Season 2

In a somewhat surprising move, AMC just renewed the show Halt and Catch Fire. The first season averaged 1.3 million viewers over its first 10 episodes, which isn't great, but it hit a specific adult demographic that the channel liked. And I'm sure the fact its male stars Lee Pace and Scoot McNairy are both becoming major stars on the big screen (Guardians of the Galaxy for Pace, Batman v Superman for McNairy) doesn't hurt. The new episodes will air next summer. Read more about Halt and Catch Fire season 2 below.

Entertainment Weekly posted about the renewal and ran this quote from AMC president Charlie Collier about Halt and Catch Fire season 2:

This is a show about invention, experimentation, and the inherent risks in trying to break new ground—themes that really resonate with us as a network and attracted a passionate audience. We have a history of demonstrating patience through the early seasons of new shows, betting on talent and building audience over time.

Having watched the entire first season, I will say the show constantly felt like it was trying to find its voice. Narratively, there was always a goal — build a computer — but the characters were always kind of up in the air. Well-written, amazingly well-performed, but morally ambiguous, it was hard to figure out how to feel about the show. Even so, the performances made everything worth watching, especially those by Kerry Bishé and Mackenzie Davis, easily the two best characters on the show.

The show's producers Chris Cantwell, Chris Rogers, and Jonathan Lisco said the following about the second season: "Harnessing the momentum of our first season, this next chapter will take the rich characters our audience has come to love in new and surprising directions."

Here's the full press release via AMC:

AMC today announced that it had ordered a second season of the drama Halt and Catch Fire, a show that attracted a committed core audience and notable critical acclaim across its initial season. The show will return to AMC next summer.

"This is a show about invention, experimentation, and the inherent risks in trying to break new ground — themes that really resonate with us as a network and attracted a passionate audience," said Charlie Collier, AMC president. "We have a history of demonstrating patience through the early seasons of new shows, betting on talent and building audience over time. We see that opportunity here and look forward to a second season of Halt and Catch Fire from creators Chris Cantwell and Chris Rogers, and showrunner Jonathan Lisco."

"We're thrilled to have the opportunity to continue telling this story. Our series about creation, innovation, and taking bold risks wouldn't be possible if it weren't for our partners at AMC, a network known for these very things," Lisco, Cantwell and Rogers said. "Harnessing the momentum of our first season, this next chapter will take the rich characters our audience has come to love in new and surprising directions."

Click here to watch Season 1 of Halt and Catch Fire on amc.com (Log-in required.)

According to Nielsen data, the first season of Halt and Catch Fire was one of the most upscale dramas on ad-supported television, #3 among adults 18-49, behind Mad Men and The Good Wife, and #4 among adults 25-54, behind Mad Men, The Good Wife and Parenthood. It was also one of cable's most engaging dramas among adults 18-49 (#3) and adults 25-54 (#4), according to Nielsen TV Brand Effect.