Why Fans Should Keep The Faith That There’ll Be A ‘Preacher’ Season 3

Although the existence of deities is up for debate, there's no denying that AMC's Preacher is a fascinating romp that explores religious themes in ways never seen before — well, outside of the comics, that is. But will Preacher return for Season 3? Like Season 1 before it, Season 2 diverged from the Garth Ennis and the late Steve Dillon's comic series that inspired it. But Preacher's sophomore outing, which concludes on Sept. 11, has focused more on the dynamic trio of Jesse, Tulip, and Cassidy that the season before. The series has also added some fan-favorite comic characters, like Herr Starr, making it stronger than ever.

UPDATE: AMC announced via the show's official Instagram on April 9 that Preacher Season 3 will premiere on June 24.

EARLIER: With Jesse Custer on the path to become the next messiah with Starr recognizing the power of Genesis, it's slightly surprising that the fate of the show still hangs in the balance. Preacher has not been renewed for Season 3 yet. However, knowing Jesse's power, it would be wise for AMC to renew this innovative series and thankfully, a renewal seems to be something the gods will grant.

Although Preacher never has and never will have the same type of astronomical viewer base as The Walking Dead, TVSeriesFinale.com reported that the show from Sam Catlin, Evan Goldberg, and Seth Rogen is still one of AMC's highest-rated series. Because of that, TVSeriesFinale.com's assessment is that Preacher will be renewed for Season 3, even with the ratings dropping from Season 1 to Season 2. And that's a good thing for fans since Preacher going off the air would definitely leave a Saint of Killers' bullet-sized hole in their hearts.

Further confirming that the future of Preacher is promising (even though the future of Jesse, Tulip, and Cassidy doesn't look so optimistic), is evidence that Season 3 may have already been renewed. Both Bleeding Cool and the website CBR reported that although there hasn't been an official announcement made by AMC, a New Orleans publication called The Times-Picayune reported in July that producers had already filed paperwork to shoot Season 3 in the city.

The report says, "The filing with the Louisiana film office shows pre-production on Season 3 is slated to start in early November. Principal photography would begin Jan. 5, 2018." If The Times-Picayune is correct, that means that not only would Preacher be returning, but that the gang isn't leaving Louisiana anytime soon.

But before you become overly confident that Preacher will return, one concerning fact is that Season 2 was renewed during the midway point of Season 1, as Variety reported. Season 1 was only 10 episodes long and the renewal — and the news that Season 2 would have three additional episodes, for a grand total of 13 — came after the fifth episode premiered. With the Season 2 finale airing on Sept. 11 and there still being no renewal news, it's fair to worry about why AMC hasn't made an announcement yet. Based on the timing of the Season 2 renewal, shouldn't Season 3 have already been confirmed by now?

Another troubling factor is that since Jesus' sex scene in Season 2's tenth episode, "Dirty Little Secret," Preacher has now been targeted by One Million Moms. The American Family Association group is calling for an apology, sponsors to pull their advertising, and the show to be canceled. AMC has not publicly responded to their demands.

Yet, knowing the organization's track record (it encouraged a boycott of JCPenney after Ellen DeGeneres became a spokesperson, which did not sway the company), there's little reason that AMC should weigh those complaints too heavily. After all, it's not like the network didn't know that the content in the Preacher comics would be controversial when brought to the screen. And this is the network that hired Rogen and Goldberg — the people responsible for The Interview and Sausage Party — to be the producers to adapt it.

As Preacher has shown time and time again, faith is powerful — even if it's sometimes questionable. And for now, believing that Preacher will come back for Season 3 seems far more reasonable than anything that has gone down in Season 2, so keep the ongoing adventures of Jesse, Tulip, and Cassidy in your prayers.