Noah Hawley's 'Legion' renewed for a third season by FX
With the current climate of many beloved shows getting the ax — the likes of 'The Brave,' 'The Expanse,' 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' have already been canceled, though the latter two were picked up by other networks — fans of FX's 'Legion' could be forgiven for wondering about the fate of their show as well.
But those fears seem to have been unfounded with FX announcing this past Friday that it would be renewing Noah Hawley's popular Marvel Comics-based series for a third season. The eight-episode first season aired between February and March 2017, with the current 11-episode second season set to air its penultimate episode this coming week.
Hollywood Reporter stated the comments of FX president of original programming Eric Schier, who along with Nick Grad, announced the news. "Legion has redefined the superhero drama and exceeded all expectations as the intensity and revelation build through the second season," Shier said.
He continued: "We are incredibly proud of Noah Hawley’s achievement and are honored to continue the series as it pushes the boundaries of conventional television storytelling," adding that they were 'grateful' for the contributions of executive producers John Cameron, Lauren Shuler Donner, Simon Kinberg, and Jeph Loeb with Marvel Television, as well as their 'outstanding cast and crew.'
'Legion' stars Dan Stevens in the titular role, with Rachel Keller, Aubrey Plaza, Bill Irwin, Jeremie Harris, Amber Midthunder, and Kate Aselton also featuring in prominent roles. The show has earned numerous plaudits for its visually arresting shots and how it's presented through Stevens' character's distorted view of reality. Both season 1 and season 2 were received reasonably well by critics and audiences, with fans eagerly waiting to see how the last two episodes will play out.
With Marvel-based series on Netflix such as 'Daredevil,' 'The Punisher,' and 'Jessica Jones' continuing to rake in significant viewing numbers and popularity, FX's decision to renew 'Legion' will ensure that the network has at least one show set in the comic book universe. They had previously planned for an animated 'Deadpool' series in collaboration with Donald Glover but eventually did not go ahead with the project.
The renewal also ensures that its prodigal son, Hawley, continues to produce content for the network. Best-known for producing the critically-acclaimed black comedy–crime drama anthology series 'Fargo,' Hawley is highly-regarded at FX, as well as in the rest of Hollywood.
The writer, producer, screenwriter, and best-selling author will also continue to work on the fourth installment of the series which was renewed by FX this past January. However, it is currently on an extended hiatus and will presumably begin production soon. It is currently penciled in for a late 2019 release, though currently, that date is only a tentative one.