Sundance Channel Acquires The Returned Season 2; Renewed The Writers’ Room

Sundance has announced that they’ve acquired the American rights for the eight-episode second season of critically acclaimed drama The Returned, which hasn’t began shooting and will air in late 2014. This past October, the series, winner of the 2013 International Emmy for Best Drama, premiered its first season on Sundance and was hailed as one of the best new series of the year for its dream-like atmosphere, subtle performances, and powerful emotion.

Sarah Barnett, President and GM of Sundance Channel, stated, “Sundance Channel is becoming a go-to network for quality scripted television that’s a little bit different to what’s airing elsewhere, and The Returned has proven to be an incredible addition to our slate.  We were delighted with the overwhelming critical and fan response to the series and we expect that season two will continue to seduce and chill audiences.”

Sundance also renewed original non-fiction series The Writers’ Room for a second season of six half-hour episodes that will look into the writers’ rooms of television series in the pop culture zeitgeist. Last season, the series, hosted by Jim Rash (Community), spotlighted the writers of Dexter, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, American Horror Story, Parks and Recreation, and New Girl, while season two will feature the writers’ rooms of Scandal, Pretty Little Liars, Sons of Anarchy, House of Cards, and The Good Wife. Season two will feature a special episode about the growing trend of comic book and graphic novel adaptations in TV.

You can check out a trailer for The Returned and a clip of The Writers’ Room below, as well as where The Returned landed on the TVHackr Best of 2013 list here.

Where do you think The Returned will go during season two? Can the show continue the strong creative momentum it generated in season one? What other shows would you like to see featured on The Writers’ Room, should the show garner a third season renewal?