Ahead of their upfront presentation next week, NBC is giving some good news to one of its first season shows. The network has renewed Taken for a second season.
There will be a change at the head of the thriller drama — a prequel to Luc Besson’s hit movie franchise — with Alex Cary, who developed the TV series adaptation and served as executive producer/showrunner on the first season, departing. Search is underway for a new showrunner.
Parting of the ways is said to be amicable, and the series is expected to tweak its creative direction in the second season, likely adopting more procedural elements in the vein of NBC’s The Blacklist and Blindspot. While a modest ratings performer for a Monday 10 PM drama airing behind The Voice, Taken has been consistent. Additionally, the series, from EuropaCorp TV USA and Universal Television, has done well internationally, making money for NBCU because of its association with the blockbuster global movie franchise. In anticipation of a renewal, the show already had been making if-come deals with writers.
For its 13-episode first season, Taken averaged a 1.3 rating in adults 18-49 and 7.0 million viewers overall in Live+7, ranking No. 2 among ABC, CBS and NBC in its Monday 10-11 PM slot in adults 18-49, total viewers and most other key measures. The second season series order with be increased to 16 episodes when it returns.
