TNT has ordered a second 10-episode season of Falling Skies, a new summer-season sci-fi drama which attracted high viewership and won much critical praise.
The premier was watched by 8 million viewers, which is rather extraordinary for a second-tier cable network, and puts it up as the most watched fiction program of 2011 so far. It continues to grab a nice share of the market, and is even drawing record audiences in several overseas markets. This success is undoubtedly what has prompted the seemingly early renewal.
“Falling Skies is a true standout series, from its ambitious storytelling, high-profile cast and production team to its phenomenal success when it comes to international and time-shifted viewing,” says Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and TCM.
“We’re reaching new audiences with Falling Skies and look forward to seeing where this fascinating and exciting series takes us next.”
The story so far is that of Tom Mason (Noah Wyle), a history professor thrown into a position of leadership in the Second Massachusetts, a militia force gathered to fight off the mysterious alien force, which attacked Earth six months earlier.
As the story opens, the force is splitting off from the main regiment due to an observation that the aliens are learning to spot smaller and smaller groups of people, leading them to require that no group be larger than two hundred.
Since then most of the story has dealt with the alien habit of taking children and turning them into slaves with slimy-looking mind-control devices, and specifically with the rescue of Tom’s son from among those enslaved.
Falling Skies is Produced by Steven Spielberg, and stars Moon Bloodgood, Will Patton, and Drew Roy in addition to lead man Noah Wyle. It airs Sunday nights on TNT.
