Freeform continues to draw in young adult viewers, with the network’s mermaid tale, Siren, holding the number one new drama spot among females ages 12 through 34. The show’s high ratings have earned it a second season, with the episode order increased from season one’s 10 to 16 hour-long episodes for season two.
The first season is set to conclude on Thursday, May 24, 2018.
The popular series was created by Eric Wald and Dean White. Wald and White executive produce the mermaid thriller along with Emily Whitesell, Brad Luff, Nate Hopper, and RD Robb. Whitesell is the season one showrunner.
Season one of Siren is described as an “epic tale about the coastal town of Bristol Cove, known for its legend of once being home to mermaids. The arrival of a mysterious girl, Ryn (Eline Powell), wreaks havoc on the small fishing town as she proves the folklore true. Using their resources, marine biologists Ben (Alex Roe) and Maddie (Fola Evans-Akingbola) must work together to find out who and what drove this primal hunter of the deep sea to land and if there are more like her. Xander (Ian Verdun) is a deep-sea fisherman looking to uncover the truth and Helen (Rena Owen), the town eccentric, knows more than she lets on.”
In addition to announcing the season two renewal, Freeform also announced details on the new series, Besties, a half-hour comedy created by Kenya Barris and Ranada Shepard. Per the network, Besties is a multi-camera sitcom that “explores friendship, identity, race, and class as two lifelong best friends use each other to get through some of the toughest challenges that they will ever face – figuring out who they are and who they want to be.”
The network’s press release announcing the Siren renewal and other projects also provided an update on the talent behind the scenes. Freeform’s proud, and rightfully so, of its record of gender equality and currently half of its episodic directors are female, diverse, or LGBTQ. Freeform also claims 60% of their series’ writers are female or diverse. Plus, all the network’s original shows have at least one female producer.
