The Bold Type renewed through season 3 with a new showrunner

One of Freeform’s best shows of late, The Bold Type, wrapped a stellar first season in September. Announced Wednesday, the network renewed it for two more.

In all fairness, I came into The Bold Type really late. I heard some of the buzz, but didn’t feel compelled to watch what I thought was going to be another girly, frilly, blah show — especially one on Freeform — until I’d literally run out of things to binge-watch one weekend. When I watched the premiere one Saturday morning, I spent the rest of the day absolutely glued to the television as I caught up on the first seven episodes.

Unexpectedly, and like many others, I fell in love with Sutton, Tiny Jane, and Kat. When the first season ended, I immediately felt the show’s absence. While it is kind of girly and frilly (they work at a women’s magazine after all), the storytelling was snappier and more genuine than I expected.

But it didn’t get a mid-season renewal or announcement around the finale like one might expect. Now, that Freeform announced the show will get two additional seasons under a new showrunner, I can kind of sense why the news was delayed.

As Karey Burke, executive vice-president of programming and development, explained via The Hollywood Reporter:

"At Freeform, we are committed to delivering shows that celebrate the power and possibility of the female voice. Season one of The Bold Type brought culturally significant stories to the masses that not only entertain, but also empower our viewers to conquer the world — we are excited to continue to champion these incredible women."

While, yes, that certainly sounds like The Bold Type, I worry about the showrunner shift. Citing “creative differences,” season 1’s Sarah Watson (the show’s creator) split with Freeform. Her previous writing credits include Parenthood, a show that became pretty famous for its heartwarming moments before This Is Us inundated every inch of TV. In her place, Amanda Lasher will take over. Lasher’s previous credits include “Riverdale, Togetherness, Gossip Girl, Lipstick Jungle and The Class.”

That’s 5/5 shows that I don’t like and wouldn’t want to be associated with The Bold Type. Literally, all five. The Bold Type is like Jane the Virgin: quiet hits relative to their networks.

Unless Sarah Watson drastically wanted to change the show, why would there be creative differences? If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. It would be really sad if The Bold Type came back and lost sight of what made it special. If it slowly turned into another unoriginal teen show.

I guess we’ll see when the show returns, but I’m definitely nervous. Still, congratulations to one of the best shows of the summer!

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