Quantico scored an eleventh hour season 3 renewal and now it’s new season is taking shape as changes are being made for the ABC series.
The series has tapped Code Black creator Michael Seitzman as new executive producer/showrunner, replacing creator Josh Safran who stepped down at the end of the second season. Seitzman already has been working on next season, outlining the storyline and firming up the returning cast.
Four series regulars — Priyanka Chopra, fellow original cast members Jake McLaughlin and Johanna Braddy as well as Season 2 addition Blair Underwood — will be coming back. Yasmine Al Massri and Pearl Thusi’s departures already have been announced. The remaining two Season 2 series regulars, original cast member Aunjanue Ellis and Russell Tovey, are not expected to return, at least not full-time.
Seitzman is taking on executive producer/showrunner duties for Quantico while also continuing in the same capacity on his CBS medical drama series Code Black. Both Quantico and Code Black have 13-episode midseason orders, which would allow Seitzman to easier juggle the shows, both from ABC Studios where he is under an overall deal.
Quantico, from ABC Studios and producer Mark Gordon, got off to a hot start when it debuted in fall 2015, breaking delayed viewing lift records. But with its dense narrative and heavy serialization, the series started to lose momentum in the second half of its first season. A Season 2 reboot did little to stem the ratings declines. Still, the series boasts a global star, Chopra, as its lead, and has been a strong international seller for ABC Studios, which helped its Season 3 renewal.
Quantico also remained a strong delayed viewing performer, ranking among last season season’s Top 5 percentage gainers in TV playback on the Big 4 networks among adults 18-49 (No. 4), doubling its Live+Same Day rating after seven days of TV playback (+100%). Quantico, which averaged a 1.3 adults 18-49 in Live+7, also added 2.0 million total viewers from Live+SD to L+7.
Production on Quantico will remain in New York, with the writers room moving to Los Angeles where Code Black is also based.
