The second season of Manhattan is drawing to a close on Tuesday, but judging by American history, there's a lot more to tell with these characters. Will Manhattan get a Season 3? The show has not been renewed at the moment, but let's take a minute to look at where it stands, and when it could return if we get the happy news. Update: On Feb. 3, Deadline reported that WGN America has cancelled Manhattan, so the show will not return for a third season.
In an interview with IndieWire, director Thomas Schlamme talked about the wealth of potential for a next season.
"The truth is [creator Sam Shaw] and I and the other writers, we certainly talked a lot about what Season 3 is. We certainly know thematically what Season 3 is, which is the aftermath of what happened to the place, that was the most secret place in the whole world, becoming one of the most exposed places in the world. When all of those secrets get exposed what happens? As well as who are the new enemies? And I think we're setting that up in Season 2, where it's the birth of the Cold War. That's why this show always was never about the end of World War II, but always about the new world order that World War II ushered in, and the birth of the Atomic Age. For us always, these two seasons are Act 1 in a three-act series. By dropping the bomb, now they've opened Pandora's box, and that begins the next chapter of our storytelling."
The show has gotten a lot of acclaim recently as well. It took home an Emmy Award for Best Title Design — an honor the show also received at South By Southwest. Justin Kirk was nominated for Best Guest Actor/Actress in a Drama Series at the Critics Choice Television Awards. That recognition goes a long way, and could help towards getting another season. The period drama also attracts a lot of high profile television directors, including the Emmy Award-winning Jennifer Getzinger and Paris Barclay as well as the afore-mentioned Thomas Schlamme.
What other clues or hints can we pick up? The promos for the last episode of 2015 refer to it as a season finale, not the series finale or the final episode. None of the actors have any major television projects on the horizon, which is promising. It has a high score on Metacritic, a site that compiles various reviews. On the other hand, the second season was announced in October of 2014, so the clock is past ticking.
Let's say that WGN America announces this week that they're going to give another season to Manhattan — when will the show come back? Even that is up in the air. Season 1 aired during the summer, beginning in July of 2014. Season 2, on the other hand, premiered in the middle of October 2015. Personally, I think the show might work better as a summer or midseason series. No matter the return date, I just hope we get more Manhattan at all next year. Still, we'll have to wait and see whether on Manhattan is renewed for Season 3 in the first place — which fortunately for fans, seems pretty likely.
Image: WGN America
