This year has been full of new half-hour comedies that have some sort of science fiction-y component. And where that hasn’t worked so well in the past, at least two of them have already been renewed.
IFC has renewed Dana Gould’s Stan Against Evil, about sheriffs battling demons in New England, for a second season. The first season did surprisingly well, getting what IFC president Jennifer Caserta called “one of the network’s most popular original series launches.” So the embattled team at Willard’s Mill will return next year.
Also renewed is TBS’ People of Earth, which is set to return in the fall of 2017. People of Earth is also a small-town-beset-by-weirdness show, only it’s the home of an alien abduction support group that really was abducted. I’m really glad the show’s getting more episodes, because I feel like the more time each character gets, the more of them I want to see. Especially our alien friends.
I’m really glad that weird comedies are getting the chance to grow and continue. They’re all so niche that they can only benefit from more episodes. And I think that it’s important to remember that there’s all kinds of science fiction, not just dramas.