MTV has renewed Scream for a third season -- but with half the episodes and without the series' previous showrunners.

Michael Gans and Richard Register, who oversaw the show's second season, are out, with no replacements yet named. That's not exactly unprecedented, since Gans and Register themselves took over the show from its original showrunners -- but what's a bummer for fans of the series is the revelation that the episode count -- which went up from 10 to 12 between seasons 1 and 2 despite the showrunner change -- will be slashed to six this time around.

Based on Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson's hit film series, Scream has been a favorite among fans but not a huge ratings smash -- a problem compounded when season 2 tumbled from the first season.

(Photo: MTV)

On October 18, there will be a Scream two-hour Halloween special, technically a part of the series' season 2 order, which will apparently change the setting for the series. It's expected that the special will establish a new status quo for the series, althuogh whether that's just a different locale or an actual shift to an anthology model isn't clear.

With the success of American Horror Story, there's been speculation every season so far that Scream might attempt an anthology model, which can reduce costs as the cast becomes more replaceable.

There's bound to be speculation that the reduced episode order means season 3 will be the final season of the series, especially with MTV's other big franchise horror drama, Teen Wolf, coming to an end this year. They've also got original programs like The Shannara Chronicles and Mary + Jane.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter