Have you been watching Into the Badlands on AMC? If you have, you’re in luck because the network just announced the dystopian martial arts series has been renewed for a third season. And if you haven’t gotten on the rusted out Badlands boat yet, the time is nigh if you love costume dramas mixed with fight choreography that would make Bruce Lee weep with joy.
Not only will Into the Badlands return in 2018 for a third season, but AMC is confident enough in their latest hit that they have expanded the episode numbers to sixteen. For those keeping track at home, that means Season One had six episodes (similar to the first season of AMC’s juggernaut The Walking Dead and the current season has ten episodes. At this rate, Into the Badlands could be up to a full 22 episodes by 2019. That’s no mean feat considering how costly the show probably is to produce. The scope of what they’re doing with the far-future apocalyptic world certainly isn’t cheap.
From the official press release:
‘Into the Badlands’ looks like nothing else on television, a literal high-wire act attracting passionate and dedicated fans by the millions,” said Charlie Collier, president of AMC, SundanceTV and AMC Studios. “Thanks to series creators and showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar, the terrific cast, led by Daniel Wu, the amazing martial arts team guided by the incomparable Master Dee Dee and fight directors Stephen Fung and Andy Cheng, and everyone else involved who brings this thrill ride to the fans.”
Saying that Into the Badlands looks like nothing else on television right now isn’t just publicity hyperbole. The series was a bit of a gamble last year, and AMC knew it, hedging their bets by having episodes air immediately after The Walking Dead. It was a gamble that paid off. Currently, the network has four of the five top scripted dramas on cable, with Into the Badlands sitting at 3.1 million viewers per week on average, ranking between Fear the Walking Dead and Better Call Saul. Obviously, The Walking Dead takes the top spot with it’s nearly 10 million viewers per week on average. (The only non-AMC scripted drama in the top five is FX’s series American Horror Story.)
If you’ve been looking for a post-apocalyptic drama to fill the void left by The Walking Dead or a story with strong feminist underpinnings or a martial arts series or a show that gives more than a token nod to diversity or a great gothic costume piece or a Western or a Machiavellian family drama, give Into the Badlands a shot because it’s all of those and more.