True Blood may be ending, but vampires will still be going strong on TV. FX has renewed its freshman drama The Strain for a second season, which will air in the summer of 2015 and consist of 13 episodes (the same as for season 1).

“We’ve never had doubts about The Strain,” John Landgraf, CEO of FX Networks and FX Productions, said in a statement. “Working with Guillermo del Toro, Carlton Cuse and the brilliant cast led by Corey Stoll has been everything we had hoped it would be and more. It is thrilling when you have a show that is a creative and commercial hit, which is a rare accomplishment in this increasingly crowded marketplace. We look forward [to] having it on FX for as long as Carlton, Guillermo and Chuck Hogan need to tell this epic tale.”

Guillermo del Toro, co-creator, executive producer and writer, added, “I am thrilled! Another season to spread the virus! Working with Carlton, Chuck and FX has been immensely rewarding and we have such sights to unveil in the upcoming episodes — the blood hits the fan on this one, mankind becomes an endangered species.”

“It’s been immensely satisfying over the last year-and-a-half to work with the incredible team at FX, Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan to bring The Strain to life,” executive producer/showrunner/writer Carlton Cuse said. “I am grateful for all the blood, sweat and tears (but mostly blood) given to the project by all involved, and I could not be more excited to continue telling this epic story.”

The Strain, based on a book trilogy written by del Toro and Hogan, follows Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, the head of the Center for Disease Control Canary Team in New York City, and his team as they investigate a viral outbreak that contains a strain of vampirism.

The series stars Corey Stoll, David Bradley, Mia Maestro, Sean Astin, Kevin Durand, Natalie Brown, Jonathan Hyde, Richard Sammel, Jack Kesy, Ben Hyland and Miguel Gomez.

The premiere drew in 4.73 million viewers (12.7 million in total when adding in all viewing methods) and is averaging 4.5 million per episode, which increases to 11 million viewers when On Demand and online viewing are taken into account.

Season 1 will conclude on October 5, and the DVD is set to be released on December 2.

The Strain airs Sundays at 10pm on FX.

(Image courtesy of FX)

Jeff Dodge

Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Jeff Dodge, a graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena.