The first pieces of the Freeform 2018 schedule have been confirmed, as the network revealed premiere dates for Beyond season two and Shadowhunters season three today at New York Comic-Con.
Beyond will return for its second go-around Thursday, January 18th at 8:00 with a two-hour premiere. The series, which should settle back into its regular slot the following week, was the first to be binge released by Freeform, though it’s as yet unclear whether season two will be delivered the same way. Additionally, the network will be airing a 30-minute extended season two sneak peek Thursday, December 28th at 10:30, which should give a behind-the-scenes look at what’s to come.
Freeform’s original content tends to be bunched in the Monday – Wednesday part of the week, with 2017 finding the network cutting Wednesdays in favor of a Monday/Tuesday dominated schedule. Not only will it be interesting to see how exactly Beyond is released, it should be telling how the show performs on a night that Freeform hasn’t actively programmed recently and which show it will be paired with.
Shadowhunters, meanwhile, will have its third season premiere Tuesday, April 3rd at 8:00 after spending its second season on Mondays. Additionally, the network has granted the series a 10-episode back order to air during the summer, meaning that fans will get all 20-episodes of Shadowhunters season three in one go vs having a short hiatus between 3A and 3B.
Considering the changes that have already come down, it’s difficult to project what Freeform’s schedule could look like next year. In addition to the shows already mentioned, the network is bringing back family drama The Fosters, Hollywood drama Famous in Love, magazine dramedy The Bold Type, and romantic comedy Young & Hungry, as well as premiering the likes of mermaid drama Siren, buddy comedy Alone Together, black-ish spinoff grown-ish, and Marvel properties New Warriors and Cloak & Dagger.
