Premium cable is often a place where TV writers and directors can delve into intense, character-driven stories without concern for keeping things PG-13. In fact, TV-MA programs like Game of Thrones, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Masters of Sex and Strike Back have thrived on channels like HBO, Starz, Showtime and, of course, Cinemax, which has completely earned its nickname “Skinemax” over the years. It’s not uncommon to see shows with excessive violence, profanity and sexual content splashed across Cinemax, and its highest-profile original series yet, Banshee, is certainly no exception.
The show, which centers on an ex-criminal (Anthony Starr) who assumes the identity of a sheriff in a small Amish town, is notorious for pushing the envelope, particularly with its graphic sex scenes and violent content. However, many critics have also praised the program for its intelligent writers and character development. Now, Cinemax is demonstrating a tremendous amount of faith in Banshee by picking the show up for a third season.
Despite the fact that Banshee‘s second season has only aired three episodes to date, Cinemax is clearly happy with its performance and very interested in keeping it around. As its popular action-thriller series Strike Back starts to wind down, they’ll need a new central drama to act as a base with which it can promote upcoming shows, and it seems obvious which one they’ve tapped to take the place of the channel’s former MVP.
Banshee‘s formidable line-up of executive-producers, which includes True Blood creator Alan Ball, was likely also a deciding factor in the show’s early renewal. Cinemax is currently developed a host of other action-oriented programs, but Banshee is one of the few shows with which the channel has already built a small audience. It’s expected that the program’s third season will begin airing in 2015.
Do you watch Banshee and, if so, are you happy to see that the show will be sticking around for a while longer? Or is the drama already running on creative fumes? Sound off below.
Banshee airs Fridays at 10 p.m. on Cinemax.