Freeform Renews Everything’s Gonna Be Okay & Motherland: Fort Salem

“We couldn’t be happier to bring both Everything’s Gonna Be Okay and Motherland: Fort Salem back for second seasons,” Freeform head of originals Lauren Corrao said in a statement. “Each show’s originality, characters and themes struck a chord with our audience, and we’re excited to share the ambitious stories the writers have planned for season two. We have a strong slate ahead, and with our young adult audience coming of age in a time that will forever impact their lives, we owe it to them to tell bold, authentic stories that reflect who they are and where they are going.“The two series join Freeform’s roster of live-action programming set to debut in 2021, with the network pushing back the second half of Grown-ish‘s third season and the next installment of Good Trouble to next year amidst the global pandemic shutting down production on various series.Created by Josh Thomas and premiering on January 16, Everything’s Gonna Be Okay has been a smash hit with critics, currently maintaining a 100% “Certified Fresh” rating from critics on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes. The series follows a twenty-something Australian entomologist who must come to Los Angeles to be the guardians to his two teenage half-sisters after the death of their father.

“This is great news, not just because it means I have a group of writers that have to hang out on my screen with me all day and I don’t have to be alone anymore getting weird,” Thomas said in a statement, “but because I love this show and I love these characters and I love our cast and crew and making another season is just going to be so nice.”

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Motherland: Fort Salem is set in an alternate version of America where witches have agreed to fight for the United States in exchange for an end to their persecution. The series follows three young women from basic training in combat magic into terrifying and thrilling early deployment. In this world, the traditional roles of gender and power are flipped with women on the front lines to fight looming and terrorist threats that are strikingly familiar to our world, but with supernatural tactics and weapons.

The series has received more mixed critical reception from critics since its debut, but the ratings have steadily grown over the past nine weeks, helping cement it as a modest hit for Freeform, who produce it alongside Gary Sanchez Productions.

“I could not be more grateful for the chance to keep exploring the world of Motherland: Fort Salem,” series creator Eliot Laurence said in a statement. “Freeform has been such a fabulous home for us through the development process, production, post and marketing. I’m also blown away by the love we’ve gotten from our fans, whose excitement and passion played a massive part in this renewal. Thank you, witches!”