‘Scream Queens’ Premiere So Huge, Fox Is Already Talking Renewal For Season 2?

Despite initial low numbers in the live viewing category, Scream Queens has managed to accumulate a large number of delayed viewers following the series premiere this past week. In light of the increase in numbers, many are starting to speculate that the series is set for an early renewal for Season 2.

In fact, in a recent interview with the Wrap, Fox Television Group Chairman and CEO Dana Walden explained that the network will consider green lighting a second season after it has had time to review a few weeks’ worth of statistics.

“If it continues to perform this way throughout a measurable period of time — where our advertisers are more inclined now to look at this type of performance, and we’ve got many sponsor partners on this show — this show is beyond viable. This is a show that any network would be happy to have, any streaming service would be happy to have.”

Although the show garnered less-than-stellar live viewing numbers, Scream Queens saw a massive increase in delayed viewers. According to Zap2It, the series saw an increase of over 80 percent, largely due to streaming services like Fox Now and Hulu.

In regards to show’s original Nielsen rating, which put the series at 4 million live viewers, Ryan Murphy revealed that he was worried at first, until Walden and Gary Newman put his mind at ease.

“When I saw those numbers the next morning I was confused and a little upset,” he stated. “I called Dana and Gary and said, ‘This doesn’t make sense to me.’ They were good parents, as they always were, to me and said, ‘Wait a minute. Take a beat.’ Because based on their research that morning, they were seeing a hug uptick on Fox.com. And they said, ‘Something is happening, but we don’t know what that is, and we’re not going to know for three days, and we might not really know for seven days or even 30 days.’ I think that’s what’s interesting now.”

The fact that the majority of the show’s audience is made up of adults, aged 18-34, and teenagers means that the ratings for the series are not typical when compared to traditional shows. Along with the delayed viewers, the show has also been a hit in the social media sphere, especially on Twitter.

“Scream Queens is a model for contemporary viewership,” Walden continued. “Today’s numbers clearly demonstrate that not only is the show being watched heavily across multiple platforms, but those viewers watch it with urgency and want to be part of the global conversation before the next episode airs.”

Despite the encouraging numbers, Murphy was a little more hesitant in expecting an early renewal.

“I wouldn’t expect anything until after episode 6, which runs the Halloween week.”

Murphy went on to add that he does not think an early renewal would be fair. He also stated that the skewed numbers made him realize just how much the network is accountable to their advertisers, and how more data is needed to convince them that the show is sustainable.

“I wouldn’t expect or ask or even presume to get a season 2 pickup before then, because I don’t think it’s fair. Now with the changing landscape, that’s how long it takes to get the data,” he explained. “I think that I understand now in a way that I didn’t before that Dana and Gary have an obligation to go to advertisers, who’ve put up a lot of money for this show, and say after five weeks, ‘Look, it all paid off, here’s the proof in the pudding.’ ”

See what all of the Scream Queens hype is about Tuesday nights on Fox.

[Image Courtesy: Fox]