NBC has officially renewed midseason thriller Taken for a 16-episode second season, up from the first season’s 10 installments. Though the series hasn’t enjoyed high ratings, it’s inexpensive to produce thanks to the co-production between NBCU and EuropaCorp and makes money internationally as a result of its association with the film trilogy. NBC is said to be searching for a new showrunner for the series after season one captain Alex Cary (Homeland) recently departed, a move that will purportedly move Taken more toward the procedural bent of The Blacklist and Blindspot.
A prequel to the Liam Neeson film series of the same name, Taken serves as an origin story of Neeson’s character Bryan Mills (Clive Standen), a former Green Beret who uses trauma he suffered as fuel for revenge. Mills gets a job opportunity as a deadly CIA operative and uses his particular set of lethal skills to their maximum benefit.
In addition to Standen, Taken stars Jennifer Beals (The L Word), Gaius Charles (Friday Night Lights), Brooklyn Sudano (My Wife and Kids), Michael Irby (The Unit), and Monique Gabriela Curnen (The Dark Knight).
The season finale of Taken aired Monday, May 1st on NBC. The network will be announcing its plans for next season on Sunday, May 14th.
