PhotoL Chuck Hodes / Fox Broadcasting Corp.

Ignoring the lessons of history about what happens when you give a sequel to anything Exorcist-related, the power of relatively decent ratings has compelled Fox to save its TV version of The Exorcist from cancellation. The network has granted the show a second season, according to Entertainment Weekly; the move comes as a surprise, considering that Fox failed to order additional episodes after the show finished its initial 10-episode run. That almost always means cancellation, making this—wait for it—something of a miraculous resurrection for the show.


Also according to EW, The Exorcist averaged 3.2 million viewers and a 1.2 rating among adults 18-49, which are pretty bad numbers until you compare them to the even worse numbers garnered by some of Fox’s other hour-long shows—like Scream Queens, whose fate is still uncertain at the moment. It does sound like Fox is planning some changes for the show, promising “a new chapter of the iconic franchise.” Or maybe it’s just biding its time for the third season, since the third one is the only good Exorcist sequel anyway.