Tim Kring drama “Beyond” renewed for 2nd season at Freeform

PanARMENIAN.Net - Freeform is going back to the Beyond. Fresh off its series pickup for The Bold Type and renewal for The Fosters, the Disney-owned cable network formerly known as ABC Family has renewed Tim Kring drama Beyond for a second season, The Hollywood Reporter reveals.

The news was revealed Tuesday, Jan. 10 during the show's time in front of reporters at the Television Critics Association's winter press tour, where the cast and creators were surprised with the renewal announcement by Freeform president Tom Ascheim, who called the decision an easy one.

”Our goal for launching Beyond was to give the audience outstanding content in the way they want to watch it,” Ascheim said in a release shortly after the announcement. “The response has far exceeded our greatest expectations, both quantitatively and qualitatively, and we can’t wait to bring more Beyond to its growing fan base.”

The pickup comes days after Freeform debuted all 10 episodes of the series' first season online following its Jan. 2 linear bow. Beyond revolves around Holden (Burkely Duffield), a man who wakes up from a coma after 12 years and discovers supernatural abilities that propel him into the middle of a dangerous conspiracy.

All told, the network says more than 14 million people watched the show in its first week — with 7.2 million of those watching the linear premiere. It helped Freeform generate what it says was its best week across digital platforms in more than four years. With three days of delayed viewing, Beyond — from Kring's Imperative Entertainment — ranks as the network's biggest launch in a year: 1.5 million total viewers and 500,000 among adults 18-49.

Other interesting digital viewing returns from Freeform revealed that the first person to binge-watch all 10 episodes completed the entire season in less than 10 hours, following its Jan. 2 debut, via the network's app on an iPhone. Of those who completed the binge in the first three days, 26 percent watched it in one sitting (finishing in less than 10 hours); 59 percent watched it within a day; and 93 percent watched it within two days. The net says 51 percent of Beyond viewers watching via the Freeform app/website were new to the network.

Beyond marks a key win for Freeform, which had seen a string of one-and-done launches under Ascheim including Dead of Summer, Recovery Road, Guilt and Kevin From Work. The pickup arrives as the network is poised to say farewell to flagship Pretty Little Liars as well as Switched at Birth in 2017. Its roster includes Baby Daddy, The Fosters, Shadowhunters, Stitchers, Young & Hungry, Famous in Love, Alone Together and Marvel's Cloak and Dagger, the latter of which will likely debut in 2018.