Variety reports that WGN America has just renewed its taut historical thriller Underground for another 10-episode season. The freshman series, which combines a stark look at American slavery with the tale of a daring escape, is a critical hit and has already established itself as WGN America’s most-watched original scripted show ever. The network’s president and general manager Matt Cherniss announced the news with “enormous pride,” describing Underground as “a series that has resonated with so many passionate fans across the country.”
Underground stars Aldis Hodge and Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Noah and Rosalee, who escape their plantation and set off on a perilous journey north along with other slaves. Although the show doesn’t gloss over any of the horrors of the antebellum South, neither is it bowed under their weight: After previewing the series, TV Club’s Joshua Alston returned to it last week and declared that Underground had dethroned The Walking Dead as TV’s “finest survival thriller.” There are still three episodes left in season one, but if you’ve missed any, you’ll be able to take them all in during WGN America’s pre-season finale marathon set for May 11. Season two will air in 2017, with production set to begin this summer.